I Tried the Pomodoro Technique for Tax Prep — Here’s Why I’ll Never Do It Another Way

As a freelance writer, my work is largely gig-based, meaning I sometimes have a lot of projects to juggle on deadline at once. That’s why I like to use the Pomodoro technique to help me manage my time better and be more productive. This productivity method is simple: Work on a specific task for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break. You repeat this four times before taking a longer 15- to 30-minute break. 

While I’ve been using this method for work for a while, I started to use the Pomodoro technique for other tasks, like cleaning my apartment. Then I realized I could use it for preparing my taxes. In years past, I would always spend one really stressful weekend doing everything. This year, I tried to incorporate what I had learned from this and apply it to my rather complicated taxes.

Tax season is a major headache as a freelancer, as I need to gather 1099s from anyone I did any work for all year, even if it’s just a one-off assignment 10 months ago. I also need to keep records of expenses, deductions, and so much more. It’s a whole lot and incredibly overwhelming, especially as a solopreneur that does this all myself. 

First I took sections of my tax prep at a time and set a timer for 25 minutes. For that block of time, I’d focus entirely on one task — such as collecting and organizing 1099s, reaching out to people who I still had tax documents pending on, going through my credit card statements for any work-related expenses, or creating a spreadsheet of all my various business documents I had compiled so I can see what’s still pending. 

At the end of that intense session, I’d take a small break. I would repeat that four times before taking on a slightly longer break — long enough to eat lunch or treat myself to a manicure — then jump right back in. I’d repeat this pattern until eventually, I was done. 

I have to say, the method worked out great for me as far as maintaining the much-needed concentration and focus I needed to get all this really stressful work done through manageable segments. It all felt less overwhelming and not like the insurmountable mountain of tasks that it normally feels like year to year. 

Would I try this method for tax prep season again? Absolutely. This is the most stressful part of the year for me, and keeping things organized and structured really did make a difference.