I’m really excited to have my first tutorial published in the premier web design magazine .NET issue 192 (Practical Web Design in the USA). The 4 page tutorial uses Flex and Adobe AIR to create a desktop application for uploading and viewing your movies on YouTube. All tutorial files and the finished AIR application are packaged on the CD with the magazine.

Using a few open source API’s the tutorial guides you through creating the project in Flex Builder importing the libraries and instructs on how to create a SWC for use across many projects. Moving on we cover basic Flex UI elements like lists, item renderers, view states and stacks. Finally simple skinning and styling then it guides the user through exporting the final AIR installer file.

The great thing about this tutorial is that you can build upon it in so many ways. Maybe add some Degrafa to the UI and create a great interface, or mix it up with some more web API’s. There is also some useful links, a quick guide on creating the AIR installer badge for your app and where to find more interesting AIR applications like RefreshingApps.com.

You can also download the source files for the tutorial here (ZIP 1.3MB).

I have had some great feedback from this and hopefully the .NET guys will ask me to do another tutorial soon.

Having been in an agile working environment for the last few years, I’m certainly becoming more aware of how similar techniques can be used outside the office.

I have recently come across the Pomodoro technique, it’s an interesting take on how to improve your personal productivity. As I do a lot of work outside of the office on personal and freelance projects I have struggled to get focus sometimes, this is where the Pomodoro Technique can be applied; to get your focus back on track. I have seen it referred to as one technique for a solo scrum.

The name comes from those plastic kitchen timers in the shape of a tomato (or pomodoro if your Italian). So how do you go about getting into using the technique? Well firstly there is a comprehensive website that you can refer to and even download a free PDF that details the technique.

To get you started I’ll give my outline of how to use the Pomodoro technique:

Stop everything!

Yes that’s right close your email, Twitter client your mobile phone anything that could be a distraction during your Pomodoro. It’s best to locate your self away from other people who could inadvertently cause you to break off, I normally go down to my office room and close the door.

Estimate your work breaking down into tasks

When working on a project just like in agile you will have a backlog, a list of all the story items that need to get done to complete your project. Now that list is too big and scary to tackle all at once so select a story to break down into tasks to do today.

Place these tasks onto your To Do Today list. When you have been using the technique for a little while you get better at estimating how much you can actually get done in each Pomodoro. Use this knowledge in your planning for future Pomodoros, just like in agile.

Begin your Pomodoro

Get a timer and set it for 25 minutes. It’s best that the timer does not make a ticking sound as this will be a major distraction! This is your work time begin and focus on the first task you have to complete without any interruption. If you have an interruption then there are a couple of ways in which you can tackle it, see the interruptions section further down.

End of the Pomodoro

When the timer goes off after 25 minutes STOP immediately. Don’t finish your task or say ‘just a couple of minutes…’ STOP NOW.

This is where you take a 5 minute break, step away from the computer go and make a tea anything but think about your current task and nothing too brain intensive.

If you have note finished your task on the To Do Today list then fine just carry it over into your next Pomodoro. Just place a mark against it on the list to indicate you have spent 1 Pomodoro already on that particular task. If you finish within a Pomodoro then use the time wisely maybe you want to review what you have done, check for any obvious bugs or tidy your code formatting. Only if the task has been completed within the first ten minutes of a Pomodoro can you select the next task on your To Do Today list.

Now you start again. After the fourth Pomodoro it’s best to take a much longer break say half an hour or what ever suites you just as long as it’s more that 5 minutes and the same rules apply – no thinking about that task!

Interuptions

The Pomodoro technique classifies interruptions on two levels; internal and external. Internal is where you basically interrupt yourself. These are usually not urgent at all and could well be a distraction to your current task. External is where other people interrupt you that you have no control over. If there is no choice but to abandon the Pomodoro then you must void it completely, not ideal and should be avoided at all cost.

Make a note of the interruption under the heading of Unplanned & Urgent on your To Do Today sheet. Mark with a U and a possible deadline date & time if required (although this is rarely the case).

This is just a very simple guide to how I have started to use the technique on my personal projects to improve my focus and delivery. I would suggest that you read the whole technique and see how you can adapt it to your needs. You might be more comfortable with 45 minute Pomodoros for example.

What do you use to get focused and get things done? I’m interested in hearing how others tackle the problem especially on remote working and individual projects.

Tools & resources to help

Being an interactive developer I was on the hunt for an AIR application to do the trick. I found a couple but ultimately found nothing that suited my needs directly so I have started to build my own. In the mean time checkout:

• Pomodairo AIR app built with Flex (Open Source)
• A very simple timer done in AIR

Also for Mac there is the Pomodoro desktop.