Stop procrastinating. Start planning.
Your business admin in 25 minutes: The Pomodoro Technique for the self-employed
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method based on breaking down work into intervals, typically 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a ‘pomodoro’ (Italian for tomato, inspired by a kitchen timer).
The goal isn't to work longer – it's to work smarter, eliminating distractions and dedicating full, focused attention to a single task. It’s the perfect tool for tackling that tricky pile of invoices or sorting out your tax prep.
Make your admin time count
Here’s how to get the most out of your 25 minutes when focusing on business admin:
Tip | Why it works for small business admin |
|---|---|
Set a timer you can see | Keep it front-of-mind. Seeing the time tick down reinforces the urgency and focus needed to complete a task. |
Distraction-free zone | Silence notifications. Close non-essential browser tabs. This is non-negotiable for tackling tricky finance tasks. |
One task only | Do not check emails or jump to invoicing if you’ve started categorising transactions. Finish the dedicated task before your timer goes off. |
Use your breaks | Your short break (5 mins) is for stretching and resetting. Your longer break (after 4 pomodoros) is for properly stepping away and recharging. |
Focus questions for growth
Once you have your routine set for your admin pomodoros, try running a focused 25-minute session purely on strategy and growth. Use these questions to guide your thought process and generate actionable ideas:
- What is my unique skill set? (And how can I better monetise it?)
- What is a problem for my target audience? (That I’m not currently solving.)
- What is the competitor landscape? (What are they doing that I should start/stop doing?)
- What is a statistic or data point that can help back my idea? (Do I have the numbers to support a new venture?)
- Does the idea still excite me after 25 minutes? (If it passes the focus test, it might be worth pursuing.)
How Mettle could help you save time
The Pomodoro Method is about saving time through focus. Mettle is an account built around the same principle: helping you save time on your business admin.
Mettle feature | How it could help you save time |
|---|---|
FreeAgent Included | With a Mettle account you get FreeAgent accounting software for free, as long as you make one transaction a month from your Mettle account (otherwise standard FreeAgent fees apply; FreeAgent also has optional add-ons which are chargeable). This integration links your bank feed directly to your accounting software. The result? As long as you categorise your payments in the Mettle app, it’ll automatically update in FreeAgent, helping to keep your bookkeeping in check. Learn more about FreeAgent here. |
Running tax total | The fear of the unknown tax bill is a major source of business stress. Mettle helps by providing a running total of how much tax you're likely to owe based on your in-app transactions, when you’re connected to FreeAgent and complete all relevant categorisation tasks in the Mettle app. Discover the Tax calculation feature. |
Easy categorisation | During your 25-minute Pomodoro, you don’t want to waste time trying to remember what a payment was for. Mettle lets you easily categorise transactions as they happen, ensuring your records are always up-to-date and accurate. Less thinking, more ticking off the to-do list. Learn more about categorisations and getting paid faster. |
Invoicing from the app | Creating professional invoices and sending them straight from the app is quick and easy. Even better, Mettle automatically auto-matches incoming payments to invoices. With Mettle+*** you can create quotes to help win more business, and convert them to invoices all in the app. Learn more about Mettle+. |