Francesco Cirillo developed his famed system for improving productivity as a college student thirty years ago. Using a kitchen timer shaped like a pomodoro (Italian for tomato), Cirillo divided the time he spent working on a project into 25-minute intervals, with 5-minute breaks in between, in order to get more done, without interruptions. By grouping a number of pomodoros together, users can tackle a project of any length, and drastically improve their productivity, enhance their focus, and better achieve their goals.

Originally self-published, and shared virally online, this new publication of The Pomodoro Technique includes several new chapters on how teams can use the pomodoro method to save time and increase productivity. The process underlying Cirillo's technique includes five stages: planning the day's tasks, tracking your efforts, recording your daily activities, processing what you have done, and visualizing areas for improvement. With this tried and tested method, readers can simplify their work, find out how much time and effort a task really requires, and improve their focus so they can get more done in the same amount of time each day.