Pomodoro Technique

• The Pomodoro Technique is^[1] a time-blocking studying technique that breaks up periods of rigorous, focused study with short periods of intense mental rest.
  • In my experience, I have retained more information over a shorter period of time and ended my study sessions with more optimistic and with more mental energy than regular studying.
• Here's the technique:
  • Write down your intention for the study period (optional)
    • This is particularly helpful if you are struggling to get started or re-start (e.g., 5 minute break + coffee)
    • I find I don't always need to do this, but it can be very helpful
  • 25-30 minutes of highly-focused studying
    • Clear idea of what you are going to focus on or accomplish during this period
    • No Reddit, no music, no Reels, phone on silent if possible
  • 5-10 minutes of low-stimulus rest
    • Eyes closed, quiet, no new external information entering your mind
    • You can daydream or meditate
      • Personally, I alternate to keep it interesting
  • Repeat the above up to 4 times
    • On the 4th break, extend it to 15-30 minutes of rest.
• Here's how it works:
  • Our brains need short periods of rest to process and store information properly
    • There are tons of studies^[2] that demonstrate the dramatic effect rest has on retaining learned information
    • A study by psychologists Muller and Pilzecker in 1900 asked participants to recall items in two lists.
      • The control group had no time to rest between studying the lists
        • They were able to recall (on average) about 28% of the first list
      • The experimental group had 6 minutes or so of rest between studying
        • The people with a short rest could recall about 50% of the first list
  • Hypothetical example:
    • Think of your brain like a library.
      • The shelves are your long-term memory
      • The librarians are your working memory
      • The patrons are tasks that require you to recall or learn new information
    • Normally, patrons come and go without a lot of fuss
      • Sometimes patrons come in to check out books (recall), sometimes they drop off donations (learn)
      • The librarians have to manage the requests and donations, and most of the time it's pretty easy
    • Studying is like many patrons donating tons of books all at once
      • The books pile up at the front desk, and the librarians are overwhelmed
      • Maybe they don't file them correctly, maybe another patron takes a book, maybe Giorgio just throws away a bunch of them to clear the desk.
    • Introducing a short rest allows the librarians to file the books properly before the next wave of books come

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CCNA Exam Topic

Contributors

Sources

Pomodoro Technique - Wikipedia
An Effortless Way to Improve Your Memory