What is the Pomodoro technique, and who created it?

A time-management method (Francesco Cirillo) of working in roughly 25-minute focused blocks, each followed by a 5-minute break, with a longer break after every four blocks.

The named "pomodoros" (Italian for tomatoes, after Cirillo's tomato-shaped kitchen timer) give structure to work: pick one task, run the timer, and protect that block from interruption. After four blocks you take a longer 15–30 minute rest.

Its real target is procrastination and fatigue — starting is easier when you only commit to 25 minutes, and forced breaks head off burnout. Keep in mind what it is not: it is a workflow scaffold, not a memory technique. It manages when and how long you sit down; it says nothing about what your brain does while seated.