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  • Hello my Socratic friends! We're here to help you be a great student. Today we're

  • going to talk about a problem that every student faces at some point - burnout.

  • We've all done it. We're faced with the giant task - a long paper to write or a

  • huge test to study for,

  • or just the day-to-day work load. We have hours and hours of work to do and we

  • think we can power straight through it - but we always fail. We get exhausted and

  • discouraged. There's got to be a better way!! There is. The Pomodoro Technique.

  • "Pomodoro" means "tomato" in Italian. Why would one of the greatest study tips of

  • all time be named after a tomato?

  • It's because of this: the simple novelty kitchen timer has the power to

  • revolutionize your study habits.

  • It doesn't have to be a tomato... my timer is a little mouse! Now you don't have to

  • run out and buy a timer if you don't already have one. You can set an alarm on

  • your phone or your computer - but setting a timer is the key to this technique.

  • We've installed the toggl chrome extension. You can use it to track all

  • your projects. Just go to the settings and enable the Pomodoro mode.

  • Most of us can stay focused on a task for 20 to 30 minutes max. After that, our minds begin

  • to wander. We check our email, visit a few websites, send a message to a friend...

  • pretty soon another 30 minutes have gone by and we don't know what happened!

  • That was your brain insisting it needed a break - so it just took it.

  • We can put as top to this time wasting!

  • How? By *planning* to waste time. Just a little, to give our brains a rest.

  • You'll be amazed at how giving yourself a planned break feels so much better than

  • stealing unplanned breaks. Here is how we do it:

  • let's say you have a huge reading assignment - three whole chapters in this

  • giant textbook. You know that in the past, if you power through it, that much

  • reading took you at least three hours.

  • Of course that included a lot of distractions:

  • browsing the internet, responding to chats...you know the truth is you don't

  • really know for sure how long it takes you to get your reading

  • done, because it's been all mixed up with other activities. But this time we're

  • going to break it into 25-minute chunks, where your assignment is all you do.

  • Make yourself a promise that you will work uninterruptedly for twenty five

  • straight minutes without stopping.

  • You can do it! It's only 25 minutes!

  • Before we start, get everything you need to do your work.

  • We're not going to waste any time walking around getting supplies when you

  • should be doing the job at hand.

  • You should have paper for taking notes, highlighters, pens, sticky notes, and a

  • glass of water.

  • Also make sure you shut out distractions - silence your phone, and put a note on

  • your door that you are studying and need quiet time. Set your timer for 25 minutes.

  • Now: read. Don't let anything stop you.

  • What about if you get distracted? if something occurs to you that you want to

  • look up online or you think you need to send a text to a friend or whatever? Just

  • jot a quick note to yourself on a sticky note, and set it aside.

  • Don't let anything stop you're reading for those 25 minutes.

  • Break time! Now stop and take a real break. You have five minutes. Set the timer for five

  • minutes and get up stretch your legs, stretch your back, go use the restroom,

  • send that text you thought of while you were studying. /you may also want to rest

  • your eyes for five minutes.

  • Whatever you do, just make sure it's not related to your studying. You're taking a

  • real mental break.

  • Aha! Break time's over! Back to work.

  • Set your timer for another 25 minutes, and continue your reading. Again, don't

  • let anything distract you.

  • You'll be amazed how easily you can get through 25 minutes when you know a break

  • is coming up. You can do up to four of these pomodoro sessions at a time before

  • you need a longer break. After four, either call it a day, or if you do have more

  • work, set your timer for 30 minutes.

  • Go have some lunch. Go for a walk with a friend.

  • A lot of people fall into the trap of not taking these longer breaks, but they are

  • VERY important. They give your brain some time to synthesize all the material

  • you've been studying and make sense of it

  • Give your brain a chance to do this important task. Then - back to work!

  • How many pomodoro cycles did it take to do your reading assignment? It's a good

  • idea to keep a record of how long it took you to do your work. Maybe make a

  • note in your planner next to the assignment. This will give you a better

  • idea of how to plan your time in the future.

  • You can create a report in toggl to see how you've spent your time.

  • Apparently... we spend a lot of time on twitter.

  • I use a pomodoro technique all the time - not only for studying, but also for mundane things, like cleaning my room.

  • Ii find i can get my work done so much faster by using this technique.

  • What's more, at the end of four of these sessions, I don't feel nearly as tired as

  • if I had tried to work straight through. Try it and see!

  • Now keep in mind, you may find that 20-minute sessions work better for you.

  • On the other hand some of you might get away with 30 - but don't push it!

  • Remember taking care of your brain is an important part of being a great student

  • Thank you for watching! Please subscribe, and share with your friends!

  • This video sponsored by toggl. Click the link below to get started. Want to help

  • us make more great videos? Join the Socratica team on Patreon!

Hello my Socratic friends! We're here to help you be a great student. Today we're

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