Five-minute office fun: quick resets between meetings
Short, specific ways to spend the five minutes between meetings so they actually recover your attention, backed by what the break research says works.
The PetPomo Blog 🐾
Focus, the pomodoro technique, and notes from building a virtual pet that lives on your desk. RSS.
Forest vs. Finch vs. PetPomo: which focus app actually fits you
An honest comparison of Forest, Finch and PetPomo — device support, cost, what grows or dies, and which one actually fits your reasons for wanting one.
Is the pomodoro technique backed by science?
The pomodoro technique wasn't invented in a lab. What actual attention and sleep research says about whether — and why — it works anyway.
Office hours, virtual pet: making work breaks worth taking
Why the short break between meetings is the one most people skip — and what a virtual pet changes about actually taking it during office hours.
Pomodoro timer with a pet: does gamifying focus actually work?
Does adding a virtual pet to a pomodoro timer actually help you focus, or is it just decoration? What the evidence says, honestly.
Rejection-sensitive dysphoria and apps that judge you
Many productivity apps use guilt and broken streaks as the motivator. For rejection-sensitive dysphoria, that design is actively counterproductive.
Streaks are stressful: a kinder way to track consistency
Streak counters are supposed to motivate you. For a lot of people they do the opposite the moment one breaks. What the research says, and a better design.
The two-minute rule before your first pomodoro
The hardest part of a 25-minute session is the first ten seconds. A smaller rule to get past the moment before you press Start.
What the science says about caring for a virtual pet and focus
The real psychology behind why a fake creature can create genuine caregiving feelings — and what that has to do with getting work done.