Students often fail to complete their research writing tasks, such as dissertations, research papers, etc. Not because they are less skilled, lack knowledge, and grip on academic writing techniques or citation formatting. Instead, due to poor time management and failure to complete the chapters of the thesis or paper on time.

Working on a 20,000-word graduate study is not easy and often overwhelms students when they see a row of tasks to complete, from writing the literature review to doing data analysis to complete the study. 

The best hack to deal with large research projects is to use the Pomodoro technique. That makes you utilise the time effectively without getting stuck on one section and move towards the end smoothly. 

What is the Pomodoro Technique? 

Francesco Cirillo developed it in the late 1980s by using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer. Hence, the name of this technique is ‘Pomodoro’ because it is referred to as a tomato in Italian. It is an effective time management method that helps students or researchers break their work into focused 25-minute sessions, followed by a short 5-minute break.

After every four pomodoros, a longer break is required to improve your focus, minimise distractions, and avoid burning out, so that you don’t need to take dissertation writing help to complete the manuscript on time. The core idea is to make students work with time, not against it, by breaking down tasks into manageable goals to achieve.

Breakdown of the Pomodoro Technique

Its effectiveness lies in the fact that humans can work with deep focus only for 20-45 minutes, and after that, productivity drops.

Why It’s a Perfect Approach for Research Writing?

Researching, whether for a dissertation or a conference paper writing, requires deep focus to add relevant references or connect the dots to relate ideas to the thesis statement. The Pomodoro technique helps researchers or even students working on class assignments come up with perfect solutions.

The rule of working for straight 25 minutes, which you can expand up to 90 minutes according to your requirements. Following a break of 5-30 minutes makes your mind focus only on work and relax in your free time. 

Instead of thinking, “I have to write 3000 words a day”, you need to complete only 4-6 pomodoros a day. This magical strategy will help you to start the hardest part and build momentum through progress tracking using any tool.

How to Set up the Pomodoro System for Academic Writing?

You can successfully set up the Pomodoro system for completing your dissertations or research papers on time by following the steps below.

You can use tools like Notion to plan your tasks in an organised manner and keep track of them after completing pomodoros of each day. It will help you to stay on track and mindful of deadlines as well.

Assign suitable time or session numbers to every task of your research project.

You can create a custom plan for yourself and follow the above as well to get more work done in less time without compromising quality.

Overcoming Challenges in Implementing the Pomodoro Technique

The most common challenge that most students face is finding the sweet spot that is perfect for their productivity. The general rule of 25 minutes of work and 5-minute breaks usually doesn’t work well for all students. So, they need to customise it to like 45/15, 90/30 for themselves to enjoy maximum productivity.

Keep experimenting, and you’ll surely find the perfect duration for yourself to work with deep focus. Another challenge is figuring out when not to use Pomodoros to work smartly. For example, when managing references or doing such shallow tasks. There’s no need to follow the Pomodoro technique because it’s only for high-focus tasks like literature review writing.

Conclusion

Without any doubt, the Pomodoro technique is the best productivity system that researchers can use. To complete their lengthy dissertation writing projects with complete focus and without losing their mental health. 

Defined time blocks for interruption-free working and breaks help reduce mental fatigue and track progress. All in all, it makes students stop procrastinating and start progressing by completing one Pomodoro at a time.