The technique has one major advantage over GTD and other systems (and I tried them all...), it is damn simple. You don't even need a tool, just a kitchen timer is enough for the start.
The only thing I don't like to do in the standard 25 minutes pomodoro mode is programming. You need the tunnel, and a deep tunnel experience can't be achieved if you are interrupted every 25 minutes. My tip: Try 25 minutes first for two weeks, if you can't get into the tunnel, try 50 minutes, if that doesn't work either, try 1 hour 10 minutes. I found this to be the maximum time I can work fully concentrated. And of course, don't even think about checking your mails, reading HN or watching youtube while in a pomodoro.
The technique has one major advantage over GTD and other systems (and I tried them all...), it is damn simple. You don't even need a tool, just a kitchen timer is enough for the start. The only thing I don't like to do in the standard 25 minutes pomodoro mode is programming. You need the tunnel, and a deep tunnel experience can't be achieved if you are interrupted every 25 minutes. My tip: Try 25 minutes first for two weeks, if you can't get into the tunnel, try 50 minutes, if that doesn't work either, try 1 hour 10 minutes. I found this to be the maximum time I can work fully concentrated. And of course, don't even think about checking your mails, reading HN or watching youtube while in a pomodoro.