I’m a fan of the Pomodoro method for scheduling my workday, it helps me concentrate without burning out. The downfall is that some of my workload is dependent on other people, which can make scheduling my own tasks difficult. I subcontract to a communications firm; a group of writers, media managers and designers based in different parts of the world. As a group we used to rely on email, Dropbox and Skype. This worked to an extent, occasionally tasks and revisions slipped through the cracks. Now we use Trello to synchronise different projects, an infinitely better method. If only there was some way to combine Pomodoro and Trello…
Turns out there is a way, in the form of a free Google App: Pomello
Pomello turns your Trello cards into Pomodoro® tasks. This little timer is packed with features to helps you stay focused and on track to achieve your day-to-day tasks or life-changing dreams (Pomello)
Pomello is the brainchild of tiny nudge, a developer that practices simple and minimal design. Right now the app is the app is in its infancy (Version:0.3.1)*.
Pomello is like your buddy spotting you at the gym. Its presence offers you that tiny bit support needed to focus and accomplish tasks on your own, and its consistent use will encourage you to set high goals for yourself.
There are some nice design features. The counter shows the minutes you have left on each Pomodoro or break, with the countdown in seconds for the last minute. The counter moves clockwise for work and anticlockwise during breaks. Tasks collect check-marks for each Pomodoro unit you’ve spent on them. You can pause the counter, mark tasks as complete and move them to different lists.
The interface is a little clunky moving between Trello boards and picking out the task you want to work on is cumbersome. I’d like to see a larger screen for these instances. I’m looking forward to how the app evolves.
* The development team has updated the app several times since I originally published this post. I am currently (21 June 2015) running Version: 0.5.1. The interface has some new additions, including my wish of a larger screen for moving between boards and tasks. Awesome work team!
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