Did you notice how I kept saying 25-minute time slots? There is a reason for the odd number. The Pomodoro Technique places a high priority on taking scheduled breaks. After completing each 25-minute task, you take a 5-minute break. During this free time, you can do anything you want. You can get on social media, you can take a walk around the block, or anything that you want to do. Just make sure that your break does not exceed 5 minutes.

Also, after you've completed 4 tasks it's recommended that you take a 15-minute break. However, you can tailor your breaks and intervals to what works best with your schedule. By planning breaks throughout the day, you will decrease your chances of burn out. And I've noticed that I no longer feel bad about doing things such as checking my Instagram account or Hacker News throughout the day, because I can fit my guilty pleasures into my scheduled free time.

This is one of the aspects that I truly love about the Pomodoro Technique. Many of the other productivity systems I've tried in the past tend to lead individuals towards burning out. However, the Pomodoro approach allows you to have a sense of balance.

Have you ever tried dieting before? When I was younger I struggled with my weight and to help fix it, I tried a number of intense diets. This included nutrition strategies such as dramatically decreasing calories, or killing off carbs. However, I noticed that I'd stay true to the diet for a few weeks or even a few months, but eventually I would fall back into poor eating habits.

Once I recognized this trend I moved to having a balanced approach to eating. I stopped trying nutritional fads and I transitioned my focus into eating in a way I felt I could eat for the rest of my life.

I made this change in my nutritional approach a few years ago and it's completely stopped my roller coaster dieting and weight loss and weight gain.