For me the pomodoro technique is not only about having a distraction free rhythm or work and avoiding interruptions (external and internal ones), but it is more a tool for helping my brain to assimilate the things I am learning in the way better.

The frequent breaks actually give your brain the needed time to assimilate what you have done and organize the new information into the right places.

I have very good experiences with the pomodoro technique so far (have been using it since early this year) and I am glad that I have made it part of my toolset

Yes, the real reason is the task in progress. But the timer helps. It makes the concentration time tangible…

For estimatives, pomodori creates a single unit of work. Is simplifies things… Don’t know exctly why, but people who works in pomodori visualize the size of the tasks imediately. It’s a familiar length…

Bruno Pedroso :

Ivan, the technique is not just about avoiding interuptions, in my point of view.

Agreed.

Bruno Pedroso :

Setting the timebox is like making an agreement with yourself. It’s kind of an excuse to others that try to interupt you – “sorry, i’m in the midle of my pomodoro. Come back in 7minutes, please.”

My point was that we should use the technique to learn about the different kind of interruptions and how to avoid them. The pomodoro shouldn’t be the reason to ask people to come back later. The task in progress is what matters.

Bruno Pedroso :

Timer keeps you concentrated because you know it will ring, so you don’t have to worry about time.

Agreed again.

Bruno Pedroso :

Finaly, working in time-boxes helps us visualize the structure of work you made, helping even in estimatives. (I’ve writen about that (in pt-br): http://www.infoq.com/br/news/2009/11/estime-tomates ).

What’s the advantage of estimating pomodoros instead of using hours (besides being more fun)? I personally prefer estimating by size, but I know that’s not how a lot of teams like to work.

Cheers,
Ivan

Setting the timebox is like making an agreement with yourself. It’s kind of an excuse to others that try to interupt you – “sorry, i’m in the midle of my pomodoro. Come back in 7minutes, please.”

Timer keeps you concentrated because you know it will ring, so you don’t have to worry about time.

Finaly, working in time-boxes helps us visualize the structure of work you made, helping even in estimatives. (I’ve writen about that (in pt-br): http://www.infoq.com/br/news/2009/11/estime-tomates ).