What Not To Do In Your 5 Minute Pomodoro Break

Meet Gregory, a writer and the brains behind Face Dragons. He's the go-to guy for getting things done. Gregory's been living the digital nomad life in Asia for as long as anyone can remember, helping clients smash their goals. He writes on topics like software, personal knowledge management (PKM), and personal development. When he's not writing, you'll catch him at the local MMA gym, nose buried in a book, or just chilling with the family.

This short post will let you know what things you should avoid during your 5 minute Pomodoro Break

There are great ideas for 5 minute Pomodoro Breaks that will relax you, reduce stress even refresh your ability to work in your next pomodoro. But there are also things to avoid that will reduce your ability to work more

Try to avoid these activities during your 5 minute pomodoro rest.

Don’t Work

Whether it’s another task you need to get done, responding to a quick email or reading a report you reed to get to. Don’t do it during your Pomodoro break! Working during your break is just setting your next Pomodoro up for failure.

In fact if you work during your break, you’re not using the Pomodoro technique at all anymore, you’re just working the whole day straight.

Don’t Read the News

Reading the news can be an enjoyable pastime. I like to do it with a cup of coffee in the mornings, but avoid it during your pomodoro breaks.

“52% of the news headlines evoked negative sentiments”

Sentiments and emotions evoked by news headlines of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

Although enjoyable, reading the news is also very stressful. Most news items report on negative or upsetting news. This can cause excess stress and even anxiety. Remember the goal of your break is to relax and mentally recuperate.

Don’t Check Social Media

social media, facebook, twitter-1795578.jpg

It’s no surprise to anyone that social media is on this list. The infinite scroll is one of the top reasons for distraction and procrastination.

Social media have also been labeled spreaders of negative emotion, which is the opposite of what you want.

Don’t Play Video games

Although on paper, video games look like an ideal way to relax during your 5 minute Pomodoro break. But actually most video games require making vast number of fast decisions in order to win.

Video games can also increase stress and get you worked up, the last thing you want during a rest.

Don’t Look At Screens

Light emitted from most screens cause us to release cortisol, the stress hormone. This is great if you were in an emergency and needed to be awake and alert, but it’s detrimental to your Pomodoro breaks.

The New York Times posted an article in 2019 emploring us to put down our screens as the chronic increased cortisol is shortening our lives.

  • Phone
  • Ipad
  • TV
  • Laptop

Walking outside without your phone is a great solution if you struggle with this.

Don’t Start Tasks That Are Likely To Go Over 5 Minutes

One of the easiest ways to fail at the Pomodoro Technique is to start a task that you can’t finish in your 5 minute break.

Be realistic. Do you really think you can make it to the store and back in 5 minutes? Can you really call your best friend and talk to them for less than 5 minutes? Do you really have time for that exercise routine?

Just being realistic with the choice you make for you Pomodoro break will make it much more likely that you will succeed with The Pomodoro Technique.

Choose One Of These Instead

I have a post listing 33 awesome ideas for your 5 minute Pomodoro Break. Choose one of those!

5 Minute Pomodoro Break