DEV Community: TimeHack with Singularity App

GTD: why can’t I put things in order?

TimeHack with Singularity App — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 14:16:54 +0000

Everything is all right with you. There’s something wrong with GTD. Namely, an understanding of what order is. A bunch of completed tasks remains a bunch, and does not turn into an order. Order is when there is no extra work.
GTD (Getting Things Done) is a personal productivity improvement methodology developed by David Allen and described in the book of the same name.

There are 5 steps in GTD:
Collect. All tasks must be collected in a convenient medium.

Clarify. If the task completion takes no more than 2 minutes, it should be done immediately. If it takes more time, then the next action is to be done for it.

Organize. Tasks should be sorted by projects, dates, contexts ("Things that can be done in the office", "Calls", "Shopping", etc.), waiting lists (lists of tasks that require your attention, rather than participation)

Review. Tasks should be looked over regularly.

Engage. Tasks must be done.

The problem is that you can do dozens of tasks every day and be shocked because you still find yourself unsuccessful. A Hamster on a Wheel Syndrome is an occupational disease of GTD followers. Yes, you will be effective, but you will hardly be happy. And here’s the reason why.

GTD makes you do small tasks systematically, one after the other, rather than focus on important things

The main GTD drawback is its fixation on the following simple actions. You split all your projects into tasks which execution takes several minutes. And now you have a huge list of small actions similar to each other — you can no longer to see which of them are routine activities, and which ones are caused by the greatest ambitions. Everything is equal. You are forgetting about great things. The main thing here is to do as much as possible and believe you are doing great.

Actions that are easy to perform can’t help you make a great career

Fortunately, we still have something that helps us to oppose artificial intelligence. So, not everything can be reduced to simple algorithms. Only those actions that cannot be easily performed, cause our real satisfaction and other people' admiration. They make us prominent players and give us promotion. But GTD doesn't deal with such actions. It believes in universal tasks and does not take into account the actual efficiency of the tasks.

Chaos management develops the best ideas of GTD and removes mentioned above limitations.

The result is:
Save all tasks on a convenient medium — see how much the Inbox in SingularityApp suits you for this.

Instead of dealing with the tasks that take less than 2 minutes and writing down the next action, exhale. Match all the tasks with your vision of an ideal future (if you still don't have one, stop and decide what it should be like). Will these tasks really bring you closer to it? Prioritize your tasks.

Set the dates for the tasks so that they appear in the "Plans" folder. Sort the tasks by projects.

Review the tasks in Review mode regularly and put some of them into the plan.

Manage your project in Focus mode and execute tasks with Pomodoro.

Use checklists

This will prevent a daily plan from being cluttered up with small actions. They will not be displayed over and over, but you can always open any task and see the checklist.

Use smart task sorting

Smart tasks sorting takes into consideration both priorities and deadlines, so it will not allow you to get engaged with small urgent matters and forget about important ones.

Use focus mode

Focus mode will help you focus on an important project rather than be distracted by other tasks.

Use Check Mode

In Check mode, it’s convenient to plan a new session based on what has already been done during this period.

Use Notifications

Check which tasks must be done next week and see what important things you can plan between them without being tied to dates.

Perhaps you’ll do less than with the GTD. But you will do things you live for.

This article was originally published on the SingularityApp blog.

How to overcome Murphy's Law

TimeHack with Singularity App — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 05:27:42 +0000

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The term was born when an experiment by American aerospace engineer Edward Aloysius Murphy Jr. failed. He wanted to measure how many Gs people would experience in a newly designed airplane. To find out, a special sled with a rocket engine was fired up and abruptly stopped. Unfortunately, the sensors did not show its true G force as the technicians had installed them wrong.
So there you go. There’s no use in planning because plans tend to go awry.

Murphy slapped everyone:

Eisenhower with his matrix — idea about important non-urgent tasks. Eisenhower says they help eliminate the causes of possible troubles. Murphy says that if 4 causes of a possible trouble are eliminated, there will appear a fifth one. There’s a bell sound.

Parkinson with his law. According to Parkinson, work takes all the time allotted to it. According to Murphy, work always takes more time than you think. Parkinson is in knockout.

Ivy Lee with his method. According to Ivy Lee, every morning you should start with the most important task from the list of six ones, and move to the next task only when the previous one is completed. According to Murphy, as soon as you get down to a task, there always appear another one that has to be done even before this one. Smack Ivy Lee upside his head.
According to Murphy’s laws, any of our actions only makes things worse, since «every solution creates new problems.» That’s all. Time management is on the ground. And every action we take only makes things worse, because «every decision creates new problems.» So that’s it. Time management is pointless.

Really though?

Even Captain Edward Aloysius Murphy Jr. thinks this is untrue. However, he viewed his «law» not as a joke but as a crucial engineering design principle: any system must eliminate the possibility of human error, which is an inescapable constant.

How Murphy’s Law can help with life and planning

Murphy’s Law is not really an expression of pessimism but all about foresight and careful preparation. Murphy’s Law helps you make plans that work.

Why did the experiment with the bungled sensors fail?

No one checked whether the sensors were installed correctly.
The possibility of installing the sensors incorrectly was not excluded: they were not labeled and came with no instructions.

Think things through: remember that anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and adhere to the following principles:
Anticipate problems. Analyze possible points of failure before they occur. For example, if you’re organizing an outdoor event, have a backup plan in case of rain.

Dual reliability. Create redundant systems for important elements. In aviation, for example, important systems are all duplicated to prevent disaster if one of them fails.

Test. Test systems in real-world conditions before launch. Before an important presentation, do a rehearsal with colleagues to identify possible problems in advance.

Simplify. The simpler the system, the fewer weaknesses it has. The principle of minimalism is often applied to user interface design to avoid confusion and reduce the risk of misuse.

Foolproofing. Create processes where error is impossible or obvious. For example, in most modern cars, pouring diesel fuel into a gasoline tank is difficult due to different neck sizes.

Buffer time. Allow an extra 25-50% of the time for any project. If it takes 40 minutes to drive to the airport, it’s wise to budget 60 minutes to avoid getting stuck in traffic.

Plan B. Always have backups and fallback routes if something goes wrong. If an important document can’t be printed in a certain office in time, it’s a good idea to find out in advance where else the copies can be made.

Applying Murphy’s Law in the way intended is the key to success.

Murphy’s Law helps IT engineers when creating security and fault-tolerant systems. They live by the principle «what can break, will break.» Risk specialists consider even unlikely scenarios; experienced managers plan for risks by adding buffer time. They know from experience that unforeseen problems always arise.

At the end of this article, we’ll tell you how Singularity.App’s time planner can help you take advantage of Murphy’s Law.

Can you avoid Murphy’s law?

While useful, Murphy’s law does bring dangers. Follow it with a cool head. It is useful as a design and planning principle but it is not a philosophy for life. use it to prepare for difficulties, but don’t let it become an excuse for inaction.

Murphy’s law:

Can cause excessive anxiety
Sometimes leads to overreacting
If misinterpreted, it can breed pessimism.
Can distract you from possibilities by focusing on terrible dangers.
Keep in mind that we remember the bad easier than the good so it’s easy to see examples of Murphy’s law all around us.
Here are just a few of the interpretations of Murphy’s main law.
Everything is not as easy as it sounds.
Among all the troubles that one will occur whose damage is greater.
Matters that are neglected always go from bad to worse.
It’s usually at the end of the work when we realize what we should have started it with.
There is never enough time to do everything correctly on the first try, but there is always time to redo it.
Every decision is made more than one time.
No matter how carefully you plan what you will do, working time will anyway be spent on something different.
The work of ten people is done better by eight men than by twelve ones.

Scientists have explained why people are so happy to come up with manifestations of Murphy’s Law in different spheres. We tend to remember difficulties and focus on them more than situations in which everything went according to plan. This is due to cognitive distortions — systematic errors in thinking that affect our perception of reality.

It’s how we’re wired — our ancestors only survived if they remembered which bush a tiger once crouched behind before pouncing and eating their buddy. And so they were always prepared for trouble. And they passed on those genes to us, which compel us to never forget all our troubles.

How Singularity.App helps you take advantage of Murphy’s Law

A task scheduler can help you calculate the exact amount of time you actually need for a task.

Measure the duration of typical tasks with a time tracker to more accurately figure out how many hours or minutes you’ll need the next time around

Its notifications will let you know when it’s time to start preparing.

Put all your important dates in your planner, set up recurring tasks, and set reminders

This article was originally published on the SingularityApp blog

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TimeHack with Singularity App — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 04:25:22 +0000

5 Ways to Best Use the Pomodoro Time Management Technique and Who Shouldn’t Use it

TimeHack with Singularity App ・ Mar 13

#tutorial #productivity #career

5 Ways to Best Use the Pomodoro Time Management Technique and Who Shouldn’t Use it

TimeHack with Singularity App — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 04:24:47 +0000

If you’re a seasoned go-getter who already knows a lot of the ins and outs of the Pomodoro Technique, check out the details of it that we‘ve laid out. We will be thrilled if you can add anything new!

And if a quick Pomodoro Technique review would be helpful for you — read on. We’ve tried to touch on all the most important points.

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique is perfect for anyone who needs help with concentration but doesn’t want to push themselves to the breaking point.

Is this you?

I find it hard to start doing something and I’m easily distracted. For example, a student procrastinating before an exam. The Pomodoro Technique makes it easier to pull yourself together in that case.

I have tons of things to do and don’t know what to focus on. When the tasks are many and time is short, Pomodoro breaks everything down into small steps. For example, a manager with a pile of emails can answer a good part of them in 25 minutes without going crazy.

Taking on a new endeavor is intimidating. Writing an article or post on your first blog for the first time? After 25 minutes, you’ll already have a good start instead of just sitting there panicking.

Don’t have a feel for how time flies or when it’s time to stop? You likely have ADHD. In that case, the Pomodoro Technique will give you clear boundaries. Do 25 minutes and then stop. With the help of the Pomodoro Technique, a coder, for example, can adjust his or her personal rhythm so as not burn out from constantly getting carried away and forgetting to rest.

The Pomodoro Technique is a way to manage your time and stay focused. The question of «what does Pomodoro mean» often arises thanks to the quirky name. «Pomodoro» means «tomato» in Italian, and it got that name from Francesco Cirillo, who invented the method using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer. So, Pomodoro doesn’t just refer to a vegetable — it’s about working in 25-minute bursts with short breaks to keep your brain sharp and get stuff done!

What is the Pomodoro time rule?

Here are the basic rules most beginners use to master the pomodoro technique:

Select the task you want to work on.
Set a timer for 25 minutes — that’s one pomodoro.
Without any distractions, focus on that task for 25 minutes.
When the timer rings, take a 5 minute break: stretch, drink coffee, do eye exercises, or just relax.
Start the next pomodoro.
After 4 pomodoros, take a big break of 15–30 minutes. This can be lunch, a game of table tennis, a short walk, or a quick nap.

You’ll need:
→ A quiet place to work or noise-canceling headphones.
→ A timer — often, a kitchen timer will do.
→ Paper and a pen to mark down completed pomodoros and jot down random thoughts that would be a shame to forget just because they are not related to your current pomodoro task.

FAQs about the Pomodoro Technique
How many pomodoros should I plan for a day?
It’s up to you, but here’s an average calculation. For 6–7 small tasks per day, each of which will take a maximum of 1 hour, you will get 2 pomodoro per task. That’s a total of 12–14 per day.

What to do if you finish your task before the pomodoro ends?
You can look over what you have done again and check if everything is right. Review your progress: what new things did you learn and what could have been improved? Look at the list of upcoming to-do’s for the next pomodoro, prepare everything you need to accomplish them. Just don’t go and check your phone notifications!

How to quickly master the pomodoro technique
Use a to-do planner with a built-in pomidoro timer. If your planner can count the number of pomidoros per task, your to-do list for the day will automatically improve your productivity.

For example, it can automatically estimate:

the total time to complete any tasks and accurately schedule time for similar tasks later.
your productivity: if you look at how many pomidoros you spend on different tasks throughout the day, you may be surprised to find that you’re pouring a lot of hours into the wrong things.

What is the ideal timer for Pomodoro

First, check that you are already following the basic tips for using a Pomodoro Technique timer. If you are a beginner, start with the classic 25/5 and get deeper into the Pomodoro Method later when you get more comfortable. Most importantly, don’t force yourself if you feel the method isn’t working out. Check whether you fit the bill in our chapter Who Should Stop Using the Pomodoro Technique?

Basic pomodoro technique checklist:
Every pomodoro must have a measurable goal. Before using your Pomodoro timer, decide exactly what you want to accomplish over 25 minutes. For example, «Write 3 paragraphs of a letter» or «Read 5 pages of a book». A measurable goal will help you stay focused. You’ll know where you’re going and feel satisfied when the timer goes off.

Instead of something vague like «Work on a project,» say, «Make a presentation plan.»

Allow nothing to distract you during the pomodoro. Turn off notifications on your phone, close unnecessary browser tabs, and alert those around you that you are busy for 25 minutes while your pomodoro timer is ticking. The success of the Pomodoro Technique depends entirely on total immersion in the task. If you are constantly getting distracted, 25 minutes will go by in vain.

Don’t use a Pomodoro timer on your smartphone — otherwise, you’ll be distracted by your phone. Better yet, just put it in another room during the pomodoro.

Don’t forget the benefits of taking breaks. Just the right break time will unload your brain and body so you don’t burn out by the end of the day. Take care of yourself! Take a 5 minute break and stand up, stretch, drink water, or get some fresh air. After 4 cycles on your Pomodoro timer, take a long 15–30 minute break. Take a walk if you can.

Instead of flipping through X or Reddit, get some exercise. You don’t need to watch YouTube or TikTok during your breaks. That will tire your brain out with extra information to process. After all, the purpose of a break is to relax!

Keep track of your progress so you can use the Pomodoro Technique more effectively each time. In a notebook or app, record how many tasks you completed for each run of your pomodoro timer. At the end of the day, evaluate the results: what got done and what didn’t. This way, you’ll see what mistakes to avoid and appreciate your successes.

Have you noticed that in the morning it is easy to do pomodoros regarding data analysis, and in the afternoon it is easier to write? Now you know the most effective way of tailoring your planning just for you.

Here are our 5 ways to best use your Pomodoro timer

Make a clear to-do list for the whole day at once. Ideally, choose the three most important things right off the bat. This is where a planner with a built-in Pomodoro timer comes in handy.

Do not listen to background music. There are people who find that familiar background music helps them get into a state of flow and also serves as an indicator that it’s time to take a break. As soon as you start listening to the tune, it’s time to take a break. But be careful — maybe this isn’t the case for you, it could actually be a counter-productive habit.

Switch between tasks on your to-do list. When you do one task for a long time, your concentration drops. If this happens, switch to something else for the next pomodoro. Writing an article? Look for pictures to accompany it. Counting numbers in a report? Make a template for such a report for the future.

Use pomodoro for things that gobble up time. It happens, you just checked your messages and got lost in your smartphone for an hour: emails, YouTube shorts, and TikTok took up way more time than they should have. Set a timer and log out as soon as the alarm rings. Genius!
Customize the Pomodoro Technique to suit you. Can a pomodoro only last 25 minutes? No, everyone has a different rhythm. Change the length of your pomodoros if 25 minutes is not enough or if you lose concentration quickly. Try a pomodoro of 40/10 for difficult tasks or 15/5 for easy tasks.

Here are some ways to tailor your pomodoros:
20/2. Work for 20 minutes, then take a break for 2 minutes, and after 6 cycles you can take a break for 30–45 minutes.

45/15. In 45 minutes, you can fully immerse yourself in a task and make progress on it. Do three such stretches with 15 minute breaks, and then take a big hour-long break.

90/15. This pomodoro tweaks the intervals to suit the way the brain works. The average person can only focus for 90–120 minutes, then they need a break. This switching mechanism is governed by the ultradian rhythm, a cycle that regulates the body’s work, even in sleep. It was first discovered by Nathaniel Kleitman, a pioneer in sleep research. Kleitman identified 90-minute cycles during which you go through five stages of sleep and identified a pattern that is also reflected when you are awake.

Productivity also varies throughout the day. Many people are more focused and energized in the morning. Therefore, it’s perfectly possible to take a break between the first two pomodoros in the morning and work for 50 minutes straight. Afterwards, it’s worth taking a break, assessing your energy level, and deciding how long the next time period should last.

Who Should Stop Using the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro technique is simple: work for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, and repeat. It’s great for helping lots of people focus, but it doesn’t suit everyone. Here’s who might want to ditch it or tweak it:

People Who Love Getting Lost in Creative Work. Artists, writers, or designers who get into a «flow state» might find the constant breaks disruptive. Imagine you’re a writer halfway through an awesome story, or a musician nailing a melody—then ding!—the Pomodoro method timer goes off. Inspiration vanishes. For creative folks, those interruptions can kill the vibe.

Anyone with a Crazy, Unpredictable Day. If your schedule is chaos, the strict Pomodoro time can feel impractical or stressful. Think of parents with little kids who might spill juice at any second, or emergency workers juggling random crises. Good luck sticking to a 25-minute plan when your toddler’s redecorating the couch or a call comes in!

People Who’ve Already Figured Out Focus. If you’ve mastered attention—say, with ADHD meds, mindfulness, or your own tricks—the Pomodoro method might feel like extra baggage. It could even hold you back.

Those Doing Long, Deep Work. Some jobs—like coding, performing live, or solving big puzzles—need hours of solid focus. The Pomodoro technique doesn’t always play nice with that. Picture a coder hunting a tricky bug. They can’t just stop after 25 minutes and say, «Sweet, snack break!» Deep work needs more breathing room.

People Who Get Stressed by the Timer. If the ticking Pomodoro method timer makes you nervous instead of pumped, or if you’re obsessed with finishing in time, it might mess you up more than help. My close friend tried the Pomodoro method once. She didn’t get stuff done—she just stressed out and bailed. The timer kept going, and she’d freak, «Oh no, I won’t make it!»

Is the Pomodoro Technique Good for ADHD?

The Pomodoro technique has a clear structure: work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. This routine can help you feel more in control and less overwhelmed about what comes next. It’s especially helpful for people with ADHD, who often struggle to keep track of time or estimate how long tasks will take.

However, if you’ve already mastered focus through other methods—e.g., medication for ADHD, mindfulness practices, or structured routines—the Pomodoro method timer might feel redundant or overly restrictive. Here’s why this group might not benefit.

Redundancy. People with conditions like ADHD often develop personalized strategies to manage their attention—whether through medication (e.g., Adderall or Ritalin), therapy, or habits like breaking tasks into micro-steps. If these tools already work, adding a 25-minute Pomodoro method might duplicate effort without providing extra value. For example, someone on ADHD meds might naturally sustain focus for 45–60 minutes, making the frequent breaks unnecessary.

Overly Restrictive. The rigid Pomodoro time (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off) can clash with a tailored system. Imagine someone who uses mindfulness to stay present for 40-minute bursts—cutting that short at 25 minutes could feel jarring or interrupt a productive groove. The timer becomes a leash rather than a liberation.

Psychological Friction. For those who’ve conquered attention challenges, the ticking Pomodoro method timer might bring back pressure they’ve already moved past. Instead of feeling empowering, it could spark annoyance or a sense of being micromanaged by an external tool.

Alternative Fit. These individuals might do better with flexible methods like time-blocking (e.g., dedicating a 2-hour chunk to a project) or working in natural energy cycles (e.g., 90-minute ultradian rhythms). The Pomodoro technique’s one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t always match customized focus solutions.

Example Scenario. Take someone with ADHD who uses a mix of medication and a reward system (e.g., «Work for 50 minutes, then get coffee»). They’ve trained themselves to push through distractions effectively. Introducing the Pomodoro method might force an unnatural break at 25 minutes, disrupting their flow and making the process less rewarding.

About Francesco Criglio, creator of the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique was invented by student Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It was his way of fighting procrastination. That’s why his method is often referred to as the Pomodoro Technique for studying.

Francesco Cirillo noticed that he couldn’t concentrate on his studies for more than 10 minutes before getting distracted. So he took his tomato-shaped kitchen timer and set it for 10 minutes. Francesco was first able to study without distraction for only 10 minutes at a time but later managed to crank his tomato timer up to 25 minutes. It worked!

This article was originally published on the SingularityApp blog