Tomato Logic - Pomodoro Primer

French poet, and co-founder of surrealism, Andre Breton observed that

The man that cannot visualize a horse galloping on a tomato is an idiot

In Writing Software, a Buddy System, an article recently published in the New York Times, the author explains pair programming, touts the virtues of the buddy system, and mentions the Pomodoro Technique for much needed breaks.

Pair programming is a sometimes painful, frequently satisfying, and an unusually productive way to grow software. But it's intense. Pairing is more enjoyable with consistent breaks for sanity checks, checking email, and applying hand sanitizer.

That's where the Pomodoro comes in. Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. Regular breaks are the juicy love apple of the Pomodoro Technique. 

The aim of the Pomodoro Technique is to use time as a valuable ally in accomplishing what we want to do in the way we want to do it, and to enable us to continually improve the way we work or study. ~ Pomodoro Technique

Productivity improvements Love Apple Style with Pomodoro requires 3 ingredients:

1. A Kitchen Timer
A kitchen timer in the shape of of tomato is in the true spirit, but you can use any mechanical timer, or you can use a software timer. For Google phone owners, there's even a Android Tomato Timer for the Pomodoro Technique. Set your timer to 25 minutes.
2. A Sheet of Paper
You need a blank sheet of paper. Lined paper is better. You can even download the pdf to print the official Pomodoro To Do Today paper.
3. A Pencil
You need a pencil. An pencil with an eraser is a plus. Write a to-do list on your sheet of paper that you hope to accomplish.

Pomodoro Recipe

1. Choose a task from your list to be accomplished
2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is your timer)
3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
4. Take a short break (5 minutes is okay)
5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

For details and tips, consult the Pomdoro cheatsheet.

Pair Programming and Pomodoro

Pomodoro works well with Pair Programming.

The Pomodoro recipe is the same in pairing with one additional twist. If your pair partner continues working after the Pomodoro rings, you must declare in your most indignant Tony Soprano voice

Hey, respect the tomato