Pomodoro: 25 minutes for the homework you keep avoiding

With distractions everywhere, sitting down to study a language can feel like a monumental task. I have students who can’t stay with an exercise for five minutes. They just want to talk.

Talking is good. I’m an English teacher; I’m hardly going to argue against it. But sometimes the less exciting work needs its turn too. And at home? Homework is the biggest victim of all. Poor thing. It never gets its time in the sunshine. Everyone is too busy to give a crap—until they tell me they really need to study more.

I usually nod politely. In my head, I may be saying, “No shit, Sherlock!” But I practise decorum. Usually.

If getting started is the problem, try a Pomodoro. You need a timer—Francesco Cirillo used a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato, hence the name. Set it for 25 minutes, choose one task, and give that task your attention until the timer rings. Homework, reading, reviewing vocabulary: you name it.

Before you start, put your phone out of reach. Not face down beside you. Away. Find a place with as few distractions as possible, decide what you’re going to do, and press start.

For the next 25 minutes, you don’t have to finish everything. You only have to work on the task you chose. That small agreement can make it much easier to begin. When the timer rings, take a short break. Have a coffee, a piece of chocolate, or whatever floats your boat. If there’s more to do, set up another round.

The 25 minutes aren’t a magic number, and the timer won’t do your homework for you. But it can turn “I need to study more” into “I’m going to study now.”

So, are you going to try it—or is procrastination your game?