I tried the Pomodoro Technique to blast through my spring cleaning to-do list – now I'll always rely on it to banish procrastination

White living room with cozy set up of two sofas facing each other with an upholstered fabric coffee table meets ottoman. Fireplace with large art work above depicting a little cartoon girl playing piano. Green throw cushions and accents layer the room.

It might not seem like it, but as I've found out, 25 minutes is more than enough time to make a real dent on any to-do list, whether it's cleaning, tidying, or decluttering, especially when paired with five-minute breaks.

This Pomodoro Technique, named after the Italian word for tomato, was created by the author Francesco Cirillo, who used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer to track his work intervals to maximise productivity without burning out.