The LP Pomodoro: Why Vinyl Beats Every Timer App

I deleted Toggl. Uninstalled Just Focus. Even ditched my iPhone timer.

My new productivity system? A turntable and a stack of records.

Here’s the thing: every LP side runs about 20-25 minutes. Perfect work sprint. When the needle hits the inner groove, you’re forced to stand up, flip the record, maybe swap albums. Built-in break. No negotiating with yourself about “just five more minutes.”

The constraints make it work:

• Can’t pause vinyl like Spotify
• Physical ritual creates mental transition
• Your music taste becomes your work rhythm
• Standing up every 20 minutes saves your back

Yesterday I cranked through a gnarly refactor to Noel Hill’s The Irish Concertina + The Ocean Collective’s Phanerozoic I. Total of 4 sides, four focused sprints, problem solved. The forced breaks prevented that death-spiral of diminishing returns we all know too well.

Try it. Let analog constraints drive digital productivity. Sometimes the best productivity hack is 100-year-old technology.

Your move, Pomodoro.

p.s. DM or email me the name of the record I’m currently rocking in the photo, and win a prize!