Background

Hacker News user Apocryphon recently asked about alternatives to the pomodoro technique. I decided to give the entire thread a look and summarize the best parts. I hope you find it useful!

Productivity Techniques and Philosophies

• Flowmodoro/Flowtime: A refinement of the Pomodoro technique. Instead of counting down from 25 minutes and having fixed break periods like in the Pomodoro technique, you count up and stop counting when you lose focus. Once you lose focus, you stop working and take a break for focus_time / 5 minutes. For example, a 30 minute period of focus would result in a 6 minute break. This technique looks promising because it can adapt to different attention spans and fluctuating energy levels. Link.
• Third-time Technique: This is essentially the same methodology as above, except the rest interval formula is focus_time / 3. I am including it for the sake of completeness, since knowing different names for similar techniques may enhance your research on the topic. Link
• Emergent Task Planner (David Seah): I tried this technique at work recently and am pleased with the results after 5 days. This technique takes many of the key elements of the Pomodoro technique (timeboxing, goal setting, etc.) and applies a paper-based framework to the technique. It is a simple PDF that you print and keep at your desk to manage a workday's worth of tasks and goals. This method is highly compatible with Time-block Planning mentioned earlier. Link
• Zettelkasten Method: A note-taking methodology for research and knowledge work. Link. My favorite note-taking app for this technique is LogSeq.
• RocketBook Notebook: This one was new to me. You use a special erasable pen from the Pilot Frixion line and write on a reusable wet erase notebook. You then scan your notes at regular intervals with an app. This looks promising to me, as we enter the era of LLMs and high-quality context-aware OCR tools.
• Deep Work: A book by Cal Newport that outlines a collection of ideas on distraction-free living and focus. Link
• Getting Things Done (GTD): A method explained in a book by David Allen for achieving clarity and alleviating overwhelm. Although I highly recommend reading the whole book, plenty of folks have boiled the technique down into flow charts.
• Body Doubling: Get on cam and share your screen with a real human so that you keep your Twitter tab closed and get some real work done. Vendors: Focus101, FocusMate, WorkMode.
• Pair Programming: A software development practice where two programmers work together at one workstation, enhancing focus and productivity. Pair programming is not for everyone, but I personally have found it to be helpful, especially for solving complicated problems.
• Time-block Planning (Hyperscheduling): A technique that minimizes distraction and reactivity while maximizing flow state. This is accomplished by a variety of techniques such as day theming, task batching, and grouping one's daily schedule into large chunks rather than disparate fragments. Although I agree that it is beneficial to pick your focus and then do it, I don't find this technique to be very attractive. As knowledge workers, we do not have uniform levels of focus or energy. Time is not fungible. An hour of coding at 9 AM with your first cup of coffee is not equal to an hour of work after lunch. Treating time as a uniform commodity misses this, so I find it less attractive for knowledge work although it could be particularly useful for manual tasks like housekeeping and chores. Link.
• Domino Technique: A productivity method focusing on preventing procrastination. The goal is to initiate low-urgency tasks and break things down into smaller tasks that will cause progress automatically. This technique could find use in procrastination paralysis situations. Unfortunately, I could not find any resources that I felt were of high enough quality to link to. This seems more like an idea than a fully formed methodology.