How to Write More with Less Stress: The No-Gimmick Productivity Tool for Writers That Actually Works

In which I repent my foolish ways and embrace the dark side (where writing is stupid easy).

I thought it was a gimmick. The way I think most productivity tools are gimmicks. So I ignored everyone who said it was great.

I wish I’d tried it sooner.

Enter the Pomodoro Technique. The oh-so-simple way to keep your head in the game while you’re writing. Here’s a quick run down of what it’s all about.

Pomodoro means “tomato” in Italian. Why tomato? No reason except that’s what the kitchen timer it’s named after looks like. The idea is to break up your work day—using that kitchen timer or one of the many Pomodoro apps—into 25-minute intervals, with a 5-minute break in between.

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Simple right?

Don’t let that simplicity fool you. What looks like a piddly, timed work session actually improves your focus, productivity, mental agility, and takes a lot of the stress out of writing.

Maybe you’re laughing at me right now. I wouldn’t blame you. I am kind of late to the Pomodoro party. I blame my inherent cynicism, which—in my defense—usually protects my writing time from useless fads.

So, yes, I heard of the Pomodoro Technique ages ago. I even tried the Pomodoro Technique back then. But I didn’t give it the fair shake it deserved at the time, and I gave up too soon. And that sucks because I’ve written more using the Pomodoro Technique in the last few weeks than I have the entire rest of the year.

Maybe I’d have a few novels under my belt if I’d stuck with it all those years ago. But sigh and c’est la vie. The Pomodoro’s mine now. And I’m using it to conquer the muse. That fickle bitch.

And before you ask, I’ll tell you what finally cut through my cynicism and pride. A fellow blogger interviewed this amazing author on her site recently.

Now this author’s success sliced right through my sneer-veneer because she didn’t just write a complete novel in three months. She wrote that novel, sent it to beta readers, revised it using their feedback, sent that revision to a professional editor, revised it again, commissioned the cover art and formatting, and then had its completed perfection on the virtual shelves. All inside of three months.

That’s not a typo. She had it done. In. Three. Months.

I read that interview and immediately fought the urge to delete every single blog post and tweet I’d ever written that betrayed just how long I’ve worked on my Writers of the Future story. And then I got to the finding out how she did it so I could do it too.

Guess what she credited her success to? Yep, the Pomodoro Technique. Dang me and my cynicism.

So how much more writing will you burn through using the Pomodoro Technique? Well that depends on what’s tripping you up when you sit down to write.

Last time I shared how I’d switched from a daily word count goal to something that didn’t make me chew the inside of my cheeks and nails to bloody stumps. Now I write by time blocks instead. That relieved enough of the creative pressure to get me actually writing most days.

But something was missing.

Each day I sat down at my desk at the scheduled time, I’d worry about everything else I wasn’t accomplishing while I wrote. With fingertips on keyboard I’d try to get into my protagonist’s head. But all I could think is how I hadn’t tweeted in awhile. So I’d switch over to Twitter and draft out a tweet.

Only then I’d wonder how my coaching clients were doing. And what about the Blog Your Way to a Writing Career program script waiting to be written? And the b-roll I needed to shoot? And…

You get the point.

At the end of each day, I’d feel like I just ran a psychic marathon and have nothing to show for the strain. Sound familiar?

Here’s how the Pomodoro Technique can help you write more and stress less.

#1 The Pomodoro Technique Eliminates Writing Distractions

This one is obvious. And it’s kind of what Pomodoro is all about. But the surprise here is in how it accomplishes this vital task. I mean, the Pomodoro is just a chunk of 25 minutes after all. There’s no magic in that. Except in the way it affects a scattered mind.

Because for that 25 minutes, you’re not allowed to do anything else but focus on whatever task you set for yourself. Everytime you think of something else on your to do list, you jot it down to do later. Or you reassure yourself that there’s a pomodoro for that too. Later.

And even when the writing goes like shit, it’s only ever 25 minutes till your next break. Whew!

#2 Pomodoro Writers Work with The Brain’s Natural Rhythms, Not Against Them

This one’s kind of amazing because, supposedly, these chunked out time blocks with their little 5 minute breaks between give your mind a chance to retain information. That sounds like a moment for the brain to convert a short term memory into a long one to me. Which, even if you aren’t studying, is great for retaining anything you’ve learned about the writing craft during the last pomodoro.

#3 The Pomodoro Technique Gets You out of Your Head and into the Story Moment (Vital for INTJ and Other Intuitive-Type Writers)

You’ll uncover a myriad surprise perks when you use the Pomodoro Technique. This one helped me because, as an INTJ writer, I love the outline stage of writing. The making connections stage. The identifying themes stage. But I hate the actual writing.

You can see how that threatens my writing dreams, I’m sure. Because I struggle to stay in the moment with my characters.

So it gets me through the story. And if you’re an N on the MBTI index, Pomodoro may do the same for you.

#4 Slip into ‘Writing Mode’ Every Time You Sit Down To Write (Pomodoro Acts Like a Psychological Hack for Stressed Out Writers)

At first I hated that Pomodoro clock-tick. Now it’s part of what makes the Pomodoro so effective.

So give yourself time to adjust to the sound. At first it distracts. Then it’s white noise. Then it’s the auditory cue that tells your brain to slip into writing mode. Like a Pavlovian dog, you’ll hear the tick and start the keyboard click.

#5 Write Faster By Slowing Down with Pomodoro’s ‘Chunked Time’ Approach

So this perk was another surprise from the Pomodoro Technique. Because when I’m nestled in the sweet low-stress cradle that is a Pomodoro session, I don’t have to write every second. There’s plenty of time to stare off into space. To immerse into the narrative. To take my time with the words.

It’s kind of nuts, but writing this way helped me produce MORE words than ever. Mostly because it’s easier to follow through when I commit to a scheduled writing session. But also because it’s easier to stay in the moment without getting distracted by other projects all vying for my attention, even in those moments I slow down.

#6 Time Flies When You Write with The Pomodoro Technique

You’ll wonder where the time went. Did I really just write for two hours straight? Maybe I fell asleep. Nope. There’s three thousand new words I just wrote. Unless I’m sleep writing, I think I just found the solution to that whole never wanting to write thing. Huh. Who knew it could be so easy?

What a Relief!

It’s a relief to have the tool I need to go after what I want. And writing obstacles whither against that Pomodoro tick-tock.

I’ve made a lot of progress on my story these past weeks since I embraced the Pomodoro Technique. And the best part is, I wrote it all without the usual stress.

Okay. It’s T minus Pomodoro, writer. Have you tried it?

Share your experience in the comments.