Animedoro: A Unique Twist On The Pomodoro Technique

I’m a big anime fan for those who aren’t aware. So when I came across the concept of the Animedoro method, I just had to write about it and share it with the world. I love this anime-based productivity method, and I hope you do too.

 

 

Pomodoro Method

 

The Pomodoro method is a time boxing strategy, that can be applied in any situation (Gobbo and Vaccari, 2008), which is meant to aid with improving focus and productivity by using time more efficiently.

 

 

Animedoro Method

 

As an anime lover, the Animedoro method is a technique that combines the focus of the Pomodoro technique with the motivational power of anime. It helps you be productive while allowing for more downtime (Life Hacker). You can use any show you like, but for the purpose of this article, it’s all about anime. Hence the name.

 

What is anime? You might be asking. In Japan, it’s the collective term for all cartoons and animation, but outside of Japan, it refers to the specific animation style and drawing that comes from Japan. Or, as the Nashville Film Institute puts it, “All anime shows are cartoons, but not all cartoons are anime“.

 

 

The Founding Of The Animedoro Method

 

The Animedoro method was created by Josh Chen while being a medical student. They were able to do 600 hours of studying with 300 hours of anime in four months, which is quite a feat. They created this method because it better suited their needs and boredom threshold. This makes it fit well with a dopamine menu and may be a better alternative for those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who don’t quite get on with the Pomodoro technique. 

 

 

How To Use The Animedoro Method

 

The basics

Instead of using the Pomodoro technique’s 25 minutes of work and five-minute break, Animedoro users instead work/study for 40-60 minutes, taking a 20-minute break to watch anime. This is if you’re streaming the anime show or watching a DVD, so can either fast-forward or skip the opening theme tune and credits, otherwise if you watch it all, it’ll take about 24 minutes.

 

This can be a better method than the Pomodoro technique, as a five-minute break doesn’t give you much time to do anything (Life Hacker). That’s not much more time than making a hot drink, let alone finding a video to watch.

 

Distractions

As with the Pomodoro technique, you want to limit your distractions. So once you’ve set your alarm, put your phone out of reach so you’re not tempted to doomscroll.

 

No long breaks

Another difference to the Pomodoro technique is that you don’t take a longer break after several 25/5 minute work/breaks. This is because you’ll be sticking to the 20-minute anime break throughout. However, if you do feel you’d benefit from a longer break, and god knows I do when studying, then take one. Your wellbeing is paramount, and stress sucks.

 

 

Benefits

 

The benefit of the Animedoro method is that you’ll have longer work/study cycles to focus on what you’re doing. I don’t know about you, but it can take me a while for things to click because of my dyslexia when I try to study so that extra time with the reward at the end would better suit my needs.

 

Emphasis on the reward at the end of each cycle. As an anime lover who probably watches too much anime, this is a great way to break up my anime habit while also still being productive. This makes the reward very appealing and satisfying for me, which helps with motivation when I may otherwise be struggling to get motivated.

 

As I’ve said, the fact that this helps reduce boredom is also a bonus, and it will hopefully keep you energised as you have long breaks to relax before diving back into work/studying.

 

One way to streamline this is to either pick your anime beforehand so that you have a whole season that can be worked through or create a playlist/watchlist of the anime shows you want to watch beforehand. That way, you won’t waste time trying to find what you want to watch, eating up your break time.

 

 

Summary

 

For any anime lover, the Animedoro method might be the best productivity method out there. Although this is called the Animedoro method, feel free to adapt it to your needs, just like Josh Chen adapted the Pomodoro technique to their needs. It’s all about finding what works best for you. For example, maybe you’d prefer Mangadoro or Gamingdoro.

 

So, what anime do you think you’ll try watching when you take the Animedoro method for a spin? Let me know if the comments section below.

 

As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, please share your experiences with the Animedoro and Pomodoro methods in the comments section below. Don’t forget, if you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, you can sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, click the red bell icon in the bottom right corner to get push notifications for new articles.

 

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References

 

Gobbo, F., & Vaccari, M. (2008). The Pomodoro technique for sustainable pace in extreme programming teams. In International conference on agile processes and extreme programming in software engineering (pp. 180-184). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Retrieved from https://iris.unito.it/bitstream/2318/1715621/1/P.2008.3.enGobboFVaccariM-XP2008.pdf.