Yes, we’re talking tomatoes, but we’re not making pasta sauce. If you’re like me, and trying to make the connection between tomatoes and time management, it helps to start with a bit of the Italian language, in which the word pomodoro means tomato.

Next, those of us born in the last century will want to stretch our minds back to the days when egg timers were prevalent in kitchens … and, perhaps occasionally, right on the kitchen table or near the piano when you needed to ensure you applied a set amount of focused time to homework, a project or a particular piece of music. Almost three decades ago, as the story goes, innovator Francesco Cirillo happened to have a tomato-shaped (or pomodoro-shaped) egg timer in his home, and he wound up building a time management strategy, Pomodoro, around that tomato-shaped egg timer.

Fast forward to your workplace, and there are a number of pomodoro products, including apps, available to you. The Pomodoro concept is that you establish a series of 25-minute work intervals for a given task, with intent to remain focused solely on that task for a limited period of time. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, and you’ll want to refrain from checking messages or accepting interruptions during such intervals. Each pomodoro is separated from the next by a brief break of perhaps three to five minutes, and you can arrange the settings so that you increase the length of the break you take after completing four intervals – also known as pomodori, the Italian plural for tomatoes.

Think about it. Have you ever procrastinated over a set of minutes, or been less than disappointed to see an anticipated email interrupt progress on an event plan? See what you think of Pomodoro, which may help you accomplish more by refraining from multi-tasking.

 A note: All price quotes reflect those in place at date of publication; you’ll want to check prices, in your own currency, before downloading.