Pomodoro

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on January 23, 2011

It's not always easy to tackle items on your to-do list, especially if the list is long or contains large, potentially overwhelming items. One effective way to make progress on such tasks is to set a particular amount of time that you plan to work on something. Spend 15 minutes responding to e-mails. Spend 45 minutes reorganizing the basement. Whatever you need to do, it can be easier if you break it into smaller, time-limited chunks. And that's what Pomodoro aims to do. The program's interface leaves a lot to be desired, and truth be told, you can accomplish the exact same effect with a kitchen timer or most cell phones. Still, Pomodoro works well enough for what it is.

The program's interface is laughably awful; it's a small square, and its buttons are labeled with such tiny text that they're almost illegible. Nonetheless, Pomodoro is pretty easy to figure out. It's a good thing, too, because there's no Help file. You simply enter the name of the task, then select how long you want to spend on it, how long you want to allot for breaks, and whether you want the program to play a ticking sound as it runs (probably not) or a beep or alarm when the time is up. Click the Start button, and Pomodoro displays a timer that counts down the minutes and seconds. You can pause or stop the program with two other buttons, and that's about it. It's not a fancy program, and it's definitely not much to look at, but it does work as it's supposed to. Its ridiculous interface might be worth putting up with if you find that it helps you get things done.

Pomodoro installs a desktop icon without asking but uninstalls cleanly. We recommend this program with reservations.

 

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Publisher's Description

From Mill Square Software:

The Pomodoro technique helps you focus your attention on tasks in short intense bursts. It is a surprisingly effective way of helping you to clear your daily task list and to become more efficient in your daily work. While the technique can be simply used with paper and a pen, this software implementation is more useful for office or computer-based work. This program doesn't get in your way and has a tiny screen footprint.

What's new in this version: Version 1.0.0.12 incorporates some installer bug fixes as well as a great sortable task list that keeps track of things to do and records things done plus automatic task data storage.

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