Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

Figure 10.1 
An example of time blocking 

---

Avoiding distractions 201 
Otherwise, you would suddenly remember there’s a lecture video 
to watch, and so you would stop reading the textbook, head over 
to YouTube, watch the video, and then probably forget you had to 
fnish reading the chapter. 
When you block out your time like this, you are much less like-
ly to be distracted, and you become more productive. According 
to a paper aimed at academics who need to get more material 
published, the author pointed out that individuals who use time 
blocking are the most productive (Kwok, 2020). Time blocking is 
widespread within many businesses because it helps to improve 
staf productivity. Tat’s because it enables them to be focused. 
The Pomodoro Technique® 
Te Pomodoro Technique® is a time management system devel-
oped by the business consultant Francesco Cirillo when he was a 
student. He was reading a sociology textbook for an exam in his 
family home just north of Rome in 1987. He used a kitchen timer 
in the shape of a tomato to help him time his work with the book. 
Tat led him to discover that he worked best by staying focused 
for 25 minutes. He set his tomato-shaped timer to help him fo-
cus. Te Italian for “tomato” is 
pomodoro
, which is how the tech-
nique got its name. Nowadays, the Pomodoro Technique® is used 
by millions of people in businesses and universities worldwide. 
As Francesco Cirillo says in his book about the technique, he had 
no idea that the chief executive of a bank, amongst many oth-
ers, would adopt the technique to keep board meetings focused 
(Cirillo, 2018). 
Te basis of the Pomodoro Technique® is dividing your time into 
25-minute chunks and using a timing device to ensure you stick 
to it. For instance, you can use your mobile phone alarm clock, 
or you can get several apps that help achieve this. Or, you could 
even buy a tomato-shaped kitchen timer and go “old school”. Re-
search conducted at the Department of Educational Research at 

---