GNOME Pomodoro: A Time Utility Tool That Increases Productivity
Hello readers, today I’ll be covering on how to increase your productivity and this applies to all types of computer users, especially Linux, just kidding. 😛 Believe me most of us who work on computers have suffered back pain, eye strain, stress, and then end up getting frustrated.
However, did you know that one can fix all those issues by managing time in intervals and a short break in between? Yes, that’s right, read below how you can go about that using GNOME Pomodoro.
How GNOME Pomodoro works
GNOME Pomodoro is a time management utility program in which one sets a task to be done, as much as possible, within 25 minutes (also called pomodoro) and have a short 5 minute break, before proceeding the next pomodoro again. The user repeats that process three times, with 5 minutes break each at every 25-minute interval, and on the fourth break, he/she will take a much longer break i.e., 15 minutes.
Pomodoro Installation
On GNOME desktop environment open Software and search Pomodoro. Click on Install when the application loads up.
In case you are on another desktop environment and have the latest version of Ubuntu installed (preferably 17.10.1) then there is a snap package called Pomodoro for the terminal program. Install that snap program as an alternative.
However, despite all that, If it says No Application Found there’s a hack to that. Head over to this link: Tools. Don’t forget to scroll up on the Wikipedia page if you want to learn more about Pomodoro.
Overview
To launch GNOME Pomodoro program, press Super key and type in Pomodoro then hit Enter key. Below is a picture by picture guide to get an overview of the program.
First look
On launching the program you basically have this simple clean window.
Running Pomodoro
Click on that play button to start the timer. In addition to this, you have the program’s shell-integrated on GNOME panel so it’s easier to access it. You’ll also notice that the pause and stop button appears once the program starts.
Taking a Break
After a 25-minute work interval, your current task gets interrupted and is left inaccessible for you to take a break. Below is a screenshot of me getting a long break. Psst… want to snuggle behind and continue working? Hit the ESC key. I don’t recommend doing that all the time.
Feature worth mentioning
Suppose you are at work on your computer and a situation arises that you have to tend to something else, away from the room where your computer is. Easy enough, pause the timer and get on it. But what about during break? There’s a suspicion that your computer would just continue ticking without you getting back. Fred not, once the break is over, the user has to give input to the computer before it can continue the next Pomodoro. And that is done by hovering your mouse or clicking a key on your keyboard (in case you were drafting a document).
Customization
Everyone’s unique and thus each one of us has different working schedule. Some works for over an hour or more straight while others like me tend to take a lot of breaks often. That brings up the need to customize the timing preferences in the program too.
Open Preferences and you’ll find three categories you can customize to your need: TIMER, NOTIFICATIONS, and DESKTOP.
On TIMER, drag the Pomodoro duration right to increase your work time and vice versa to decrease it. The same applies to duration time too. Tinker around by enabling/disabling to understand why the program works so.
Conclusion
Did you know? Pomodoro is not for the computer-specific task but can be applied to other fields of work too. For instance, table work that includes study, artwork, solving mathematical equations, etc all benefits this utility tool. Try it out and see what happens. Something I missed out worth mentioning? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below and share your thoughts too.