My, Everyone’s, or Our Focus Time?

Dependencies and Tensions in Task Resolution through the Implementation of Focus Time in Three Companies with a Four-Day Work Week

Abstract

The use of the time management tool, the Pomodoro Technique, is frequently mentioned in discussions about implementing a four-day workweek. The technique is used to create focus time, aiming to enhance both productivity and employee well-being. However, it has also been criticized for potentially limiting employees’ influence over their tasks, promoting a narrow understanding of productive time, and producing a particular self-perception among users as responsible for their own productivity. This article examines how the Pomodoro Technique was introduced as a part of the implementation of a four-day workweek in three companies. In the three companies, the technique was used to focus on different dependencies in task resolution, resulting in some unique tensions. The article concludes by discussing how the three different ways of using the Pomodoro Technique can contribute to our understanding of when and how the Pomodoro Technique limits or promotes influence over tasks, evokes a particular understanding of productive time, and creates specific forms of self-perception among its users.