PomodoroHow to split big tasks and group small ones
A task is the right size when you can see its end from where you start. Most tasks on a to-do list are either too big or too small for that.
The size test
Look at a task and ask how many pomodoros it will take. If the honest answer is "more than five to seven", it is too big: you will not know where to begin, and you will not feel progress. If the answer is "ten minutes", it is too small to earn a round of its own. The method works best with tasks of one to four rounds.
Splitting a big task
There are three reliable ways to cut a large task.
- By stages. Most work passes through the same stages: gather, plan, make, check. A project report becomes: collect data (2 rounds), outline (1), write sections one to three (3), write sections four to six (3), tables and charts (2), proofread (1).
- By parts. A chapter splits by its headings; a problem set by question numbers; a presentation by slides; a house move by rooms.
- By output. Define each piece by what will exist at the end: "one page of notes on photosynthesis", "ten solved numericals", "a first draft of the covering letter". A piece defined by its output has a clear finish.
Write the pieces on your master list as separate lines. You have not created more work; you have made the same work visible.
The planning round
When a task is so unclear that you cannot even split it, spend one whole pomodoro on planning it. In that round, write down: what exactly is asked, what you already have, what is missing, and the steps in order. A planning round feels like delay and almost always saves several rounds later. It is especially useful at the start of an assignment, a new chapter or any task you have been avoiding. See also how to start a task you keep putting off.
Grouping small jobs
Small jobs do the most damage when they are scattered through the day, each one breaking into a round. Collect them instead. Keep a running list called "small jobs". Once or twice a day, give that list one pomodoro and go through it at speed:
- Reply to two messages from the class group.
- Pay the mobile recharge.
- Download the admit card and save it.
- Photocopy the fee receipt.
- Put the library book in the bag.
Five jobs, one round. If the list is not finished when the bell rings, the rest waits for the next small-jobs round. Jobs of the same kind go well together: all calls in one round, all payments in another.
Examples
| Too big or vague | Split into |
|---|---|
| Revise physics | Formula sheet for current electricity (1); twenty numericals on Kirchhoff's laws (2); past-paper questions on the chapter (2) |
| Prepare for the interview | Read the job description and list five matching points (1); write answers to six common questions (2); say them aloud and time them (1); read about the company (1) |
| File the GST papers | Collect sales bills (1); collect purchase bills (1); enter and total (2); check against the bank statement (1) |
| Write the essay | Points and order (1); first draft (2); cut and correct (1); fair copy (1) |
When a piece runs over
If a piece you estimated at two rounds reaches five, stop at the next break and look at it again. Either it was really several pieces, or you have met a real difficulty. Split it again or ask for help. Running on in the hope that it will end soon is how an afternoon disappears. The page on estimating shows how to learn from such cases.
A daily habit
Each morning, before the first round, read today's list and apply the size test to every line. Split what is too big, group what is too small. It takes two or three minutes and sets up the whole day.
Questions people ask
How small should a piece be?
Small enough to finish in one to four rounds and to describe by its result, such as ten solved questions or one page of notes.
Is planning a waste of a round?
Rarely. One round spent listing the steps of an unclear task usually saves more than it costs, because every later round has a definite job.
What if small jobs keep coming all day?
Note each one on the small-jobs list as it arrives and return to your round. Unless a job is truly urgent, it waits for the next small-jobs round.
More guides
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