The Pomodoro Technique Is Overrated — Here's What I Do Instead

Twenty-five minutes is great for shallow work and terrible for the stuff that actually matters. A simple alternative I've used for two years.

Pomodoro is the productivity advice everyone gives because it's easy to explain. Set a timer. Work 25. Rest 5. Done.

It works. For a while. Until you notice that the things that actually move your week forward — writing, designing, thinking — don't fit neatly into 25-minute boxes.

What I do instead is what I call the 90/20: one ninety-minute block of single-task work, followed by a real twenty-minute break away from any screen. Two of those per day is a serious creative output. Three is a luxurious week.

The point isn't the exact numbers. It's matching the rhythm of the timer to the rhythm of the work.