The Blocking Technique

Blocking: An Alternative To Pomodoro

Are you tired of everyone telling you to use the Pomodoro technique? Are you fed up of trying to make Pomodoro work when it just doesn't work for you? Well you've come to the right place, as we're going to go over blocking briefly.

Blocking refers to doing work in chunks (or 'blocks') and taking longer breaks in between rather than the cyclic nature of Pomodoro. It is better for people who take longer amounts of time to refresh, reframe, and switch their mental state between work and play.

How To Use Blocking

Blocking is much easier and more intuitive than Pomodoro. Split your tasks into smaller subtasks or parts (or if you are studying, split the syllabus into chunks) and study in large blocks of time that range from anywhere between 15 minutes and 90 minutes, although it isn't recommended to go up to or beyond 2 hours. After this, take a break adequate enough to recharge your energy (usually around 30 minutes) and then go back to doing work for an hour or two.

It is recommended to take as long breaks as needed to restore your energy from the previous study session, and to do more difficult or complex tasks first when your energy is at its maximum.

Additionally, you may wish to use a scheduler like the one below to help you to manage your time.

You don't need a fancy coloured calendar to block, but it's advised to create one like a table with the different times and the different hours of the day.

Hope you study well with this technique if Pomodoro doesn't work for you. But if Pomodoro works for you, it generally is the more efficient method. That's all, folks.

Coincidentally, most episodes are half an hour long. If the recommended break is usually half an hour long... hmm.