Getting productive and focused is a challenge that everyone faces to some extent. While there are many productivity methods out there to help you buckle down and get to work, they might not be the right system for you.

If you’ve ever struggled with staying focused using a timed technique such as the Pomodoro method, then the Flowtime technique may be an effective alternative for you to consider.

What Is the Flowtime Technique?

Flowtime Technique Stopwatch

The Flowtime Technique is a timed productivity system to measure your focus and understand your productivity habits. It focuses on single-task work rather than multitasking, and the goal is for you to stay focused on a single task for as long as you need.

It is often seen as a popular alternative to the Pomodoro Method, which includes a set amount of working time followed by breaks in between. While that method is very effective for some, it can cause you to feel restricted by the time intervals.

The Flowtime Technique removes the restrictions and allows you to stay focused as long or as little as you like, so you don't have to force yourself to meet a time requirement or get distracted to take a break.

Related: Productivity Techniques You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How to Get Started With the Flowtime Technique

Use the Flowtime Technique by starting the timer and working away as long as you can before you need a break. Go with the flow, and don't put pressure on yourself to stay focused. As a rule, the Flowtime Technique covers 10 to 90 minutes of work, but you aren't limited to 90 minutes if you don't feel you need a break.

Once you finish a round of productive work, stop the timer and reward yourself with a break depending on how long you remained focused. While the break times can be completed up to you, here’s an example of our suggested break lengths based on how long you were working:

  • Under 25 minutes of work = five-minute break
  • 25-50 minutes of work = eight-minute break
  • 50-90 minutes of work = 10-minute break
  • More than 90 minutes of work = 15-minute break

Keep Track of Your Focus

Recording the duration of productive work sessions you have can help you better understand your focus habits. You might find that you’re able to stay focused on certain things longer than others, or that you’re more focused at a certain time of the day.

This may take a couple of sessions to begin mapping out your habits accurately, but it can help you plan your day out to get the most done.

Related: Ways to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones

Use an App for Simple Flowtime Tracking

By getting a productivity tracking app, you can keep track of your focus habits on the go. This can come in handy if you want to stay productive on the go and quickly access your stats whenever you want.

Flipd: Focus & Study Timer

Flipd is a great phone app for this and is wonderfully designed. You can time yourself for different activities, play focus music, and get insights with a summary of your focus stats. There are limitations in the free version such as only being able to time a maximum of 40 minutes, but if you’re able to look past that there are a lot of useful features still available to free users.

Download: Flipd: Focus & Study Timer for Android | iOS (Free, Subscription Available)

Sessions - Activity Timer

Sessions is a simple app for the iPhone where you can create and color-code different activities and time yourself for how long you stay focused on the activity. It logs the duration and time you spend on every activity for your records.

Download: Sessions - Activity Timer for iOS (Free)

Study Bunny: Focus Timer

If you’re looking for a simple timer that also doubles as a cute study companion, then look no further than Study Bunny. This adorable app has a stopwatch mode for you to use with the Flowtime technique, and you get an overview of how many hours you’ve been productive each day.

Download: Study Bunny: Focus Timer for Android | iOS (Free)

Related: The Best Study Planning Apps for Students

Use a Time Tracking Service for Advanced Flowtime Tracking

For deeper insight into your productivity and to organize your activities to a greater degree, the Flowtime Technique is also available as a productivity service that lets you track your productivity.

Clockify

Clockify for Flowtime Technique

Clockify is a useful free productivity tracker that you can access straight from the website. You will have to make an account, but once you do, all your productivity sessions will be logged into one place. While it is used more by teams for professional purposes, a free account is just enough to keep track of your personal productivity.

Related: Apps to Help You Achieve Your Productivity Goals

Toggl Track

Toggl Tracker for Flowtime

Toggl Track is another productivity tracker that comes with a free plan and can be accessed from the website or by downloading the app. You will have to make an account to use the timer and to save your work sessions and see the reports.

There are premium tiers that require a subscription that may be useful for you, but a free account may be all you need to track your Flowtime productivity.

Track Your Time the Old-Fashioned Way

You can always track your productivity with the Flowtime Technique the old-fashioned way by timing yourself with the default clock app on your phone, a simple time online, or even an actual stopwatch.

Record the information on paper or on a note or spreadsheet to keep track of it. Write down the time you started working and the time you finished, the duration, and the break you awarded yourself.

Try Out the Flowtime Technique for Yourself

Now that you know more about the Flowtime Technique and have some tools up your sleeve, see how it works for you and get a better understanding of your own focus habits. At the end of the day, everyone’s productivity style may be different, but the Flowtime Technique is definitely worth a try.