My last article talked about the importance of the quick mix. Today I’m following up with a further look into a technique I use to break my projects into manageable chunks, stay on schedule, and rapidly turn out better mixes.
This approach is a time management technique to maintain focus, enable flow, and allow your ears a chance to rest in order to remain objective.
The original technique uses a tomato, but you can use an egg timer.
The Pomodoro Technique [1]
This is a brilliant time management interval exercise, which alternates between 20-25 minute work periods (referred to as a Pomodoro – Italian for Tomato as the creator Francesco Cirillo has dubbed the name after his tomato shaped kitchen timer) and 3-5 minute break periods. After the fourth Pomodoro, a longer 15-30 minute break is taken.
This trains your brain to hyper focus for short bursts while still having time to step back and breath from your work. Over time the Pomodoro Technique can help improve your attention span, and discipline while helping you to stay on top of your deadlines.
Here are the steps to using the Pomodoro Technique:
- Write the day’s To-Do List
- Determine your first task – tasks should be small enough to accomplish within 2 hours. If the task will take longer then divide it into smaller chunks
- Set a timer for 20-25 minutes (a Pomodoro)
- After one Pomodoro of work, place a check on the To-Do List task
- If you have less than 4 checks, Take a short break (3-5minutes) and return to step 3.
- After 4 Pomodoros take a longer break (15-30 minutes). , Choose a new task from step 1 and repeat.
This technique helps me to limit distractions by concentrating work periods, and allowing regular break periods. When I get into the flow of working, it’s almost hard to stop! But nonetheless I get up, take a break and come back refreshed, fired up, and eager to get back to work.
Over time, I found this gave me a better sense of how long it will take to complete a task, as my work periods are concentrated and effective rather than ambiguous and sporadic. (or plagued by distractions of social media)
A task that once took an indefinite amount of time is now concrete and measurable. Pomodoros allow me to better gauge how much work I can fit into a day, and in what order is appropriate to complete them effectively.
How I use this to Produce Music
So this is an Audio Engineering Blog and I have to make this approach work for audio guys and gals.
The first suggestion I will make is to use your phone timer if a kitchen timer is disruptive, being that we are focusing on sound, the ticking might get distracting.
You can also break up larger tasks into different stages, each with there own Pomodoro sets. For example:
I will spend up to 4 Pomodoros in a row Recording my song.
I will spend up to 4 Pomodoros in a row Editing my song
I will spend up to 4 Pomodoros in a row Mixing my song.
Learning to break up workflow into bite size pieces makes it a more manageable goal, as well as giving your mind the breaks it needs to stay sharp and focused.
After each Pomodoro, I will listen to my project start to finish, and write down the things I notice that I need to edit. This allows me a valuable opportunity to review my own work with complete objectivity.
It forces me to listen like the average listener would react to a song and pick out the things that are inaudible or out of place. By doing this after a break period, my ears are rested and ready to receive great music! If my mix doesn’t sound so great, you’d better believe me it’s easier to know where to start.
The better the quality of your energy, the better the quality of your result.
Don’t let yourself get overworked!
Progress > Perfection.
[1] Cirillo, Francesco The Pomodoro Technique https://cirillocompany.de/pages/pomodoro-technique
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