Gnome Pomodoro – A Timer to Help Increase Your Productivity

I have written about apps that will help you concentrate on your work playing ambient noises to soothe your ears to e.g. Focusli and ANoise.

This time around, I’m introducing you to a timer app. It is based on the Pomodoro technique developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s and you might have come across it before (perhaps as a Chrome extension).

The Pomodoro technique works by breaking down work into assigned time intervals (typically 25 minutes in length) separated by short breaks and that is exactly how Gnome Pomodoro works.

Gnome Pomodoro helps you manage time via the Pomodoro technique by reminding you of when it is time to take a break during your working periods.

Its principle is that focusing on work for a limited time (about 30 mins) and clearing your mind during breaks helps to improve focus, physical health, and mental agility. Of course, that depends on how well you spend your breaks and follow the routine.

At the moment, Gnome Pomodoro works best with the Gnome desktop environment but expect perfect performance on other desktops in due time.

Features in Gnome Pomodoro

  • Gnome Desktop Integration
  • Extension for Gnome (Indicator icon is dynamic, gives you sense of current duration)
  • Fullscreen and regular notifications with sound
  • Presence Awareness
  • Timer customization and reminders
  • Keyboard shortcuts support
  • Plugin Support: change themes, sounds, and execute scripts

Install Gnome Pomodoro via the command line so that you can always get updates whenever any are available:

$ sudo echo "deb http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/kamilprusko/xUbuntu_16.10/ /" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gnome-pomodoro-timer.list
$ sudo wget http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:kamilprusko/xUbuntu_16.10/Release.key -O - | sudo apt-key add -
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install gnome-pomodoro

You can check out installation instructions for other Ubuntu versions and Linux distros in Gnome Pomodoro’s download section.

Did you find this application useful? What are your thoughts, lets us know in the comment below!

Divine Okoi is a cybersecurity postgrad with a passion for the open-source community. With 700+ articles covering different topics in IT, you can always trust him to inform you about the coolest tech.

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