Francesco Cirillo's classic Pomodoro Technique rules, adapted to how Tomato Timer actually works.
1. One Pomodoro is an indivisible unit of work
Only work while the Work timer is running (25 minutes by default, adjustable from 1 to 180 minutes under "Customize time"). If you hit Reset before the timer rings, the Pomodoro doesn't count — start a fresh one. Even if you finish early, don't jump to the next task — use the remaining time to review, polish, or note improvements, or simply rest until it rings.
2. Breaks are mandatory, but you switch them yourself
After a work Pomodoro comes a Short Break (5 minutes by default). Switching between Work / Short Break / Long Break is manual — the app doesn't count which Pomodoro number you're on. Cirillo's classic rule: after every 4 consecutive work Pomodoros without giving in to interruptions, take a Long Break (10 minutes by default, 15–30 in the book). Count your own set of 4 and switch tabs yourself.
3. Plan: Inventory → Today
Keep every task you might ever want to do in the Task Inventory (the book's Activity Inventory), optionally with an effort estimate in Pomodoros (1–20 🍅). Each day, move what you'll actually work on into today's plan with "To today →". A sudden task that can't wait goes straight into the "Today" section via "Unplanned & urgent task" — it's marked urgent by default.
4. Break down the big, combine the small
An estimate over 5–7 Pomodoros means the task is too complex — split it into several inventory items. A task shorter than one Pomodoro should be combined with something similar so together they take about one Pomodoro (there's no automatic merging in the app — do this when you phrase the task).
5. The Eisenhower Matrix on top of Pomodoro
Every task carries Important / Urgent flags, and the app derives the quadrant tag from them: important and urgent → do now; important, not urgent → schedule; urgent, not important → delegate; neither → eliminate.
6. One Pomodoro, one task
Before starting a work Pomodoro, pick a task in the "Working on" dropdown — a completed Pomodoro is then added to that task's counter automatically. Only tasks already in today's plan show up there — move a task from the inventory first. You can leave "No task selected" — the Pomodoro still counts toward your overall stats, just not toward any specific task.
7. Log interruptions, don't stop the Pomodoro for them
Use "' Internal distraction" when you feel the urge to switch to something else but don't act on it — the counter just goes up, the Pomodoro keeps running. Use "- External interruption" the same way for outside disturbances (a message, a colleague): per the book, inform the person you'll get back to them later, but don't interrupt the Pomodoro itself. These buttons only show during a work Pomodoro — there's no need to track interruptions during breaks. If an interruption genuinely forces you to hit Reset, the Pomodoro is lost — start a new one.
8. Check tasks off as you finish them
Done with a task? Tick it in the "Today" list. Completed tasks stay visible, struck through, until the end of the day — that's your daily report.
9. Track how accurate your estimates are
At the bottom of today's list, the app counts today's completed, estimated tasks as exact / overestimated / underestimated. The goal is to have roughly equal numbers of under- and overestimates over time — a sign your estimation is improving — rather than a systematic bias in one direction. Deeper stats (streaks, total time, Pomodoros per task, time over estimate) live on the Statistics page (requires an account, free for 7 days, then subscription).
10. Adjust the durations deliberately
The book's optimal range is 20–35 minutes of work. Tune it to yourself under "Customize time", but don't shorten breaks just because you're in a hurry — that breaks the rhythm and hurts the quality of the next Pomodoro.
11. Don't Pomodoro your free time
If you're doing something purely for leisure, don't start the timer. A Pomodoro turns time into a goal, and free time should stay unstructured.