Thesis going nowhere? Try 25 minutes, side by side, in silence
Student life · Équipe Viatous · 4 min
The file is called "Thesis_V3_FINAL_really". It's been open for forty minutes. In that time, you've reread the same sentence six times, checked your email twice and tidied your desk like never before. The cursor is still blinking in exactly the same place.
That isn't laziness. A thesis is huge, vague and lonely, the perfect recipe for procrastination. The fix comes down to one number: 25. And it works even better with other people.
The 25-minute method in a nutshell
It has an Italian name, Pomodoro ("tomato"). Its creator, Francesco Cirillo, came up with it as a student, using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer. The principle, as described in the summary of his book : split your work into 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks in between .
For 25 minutes, you do one thing. No phone, no "quick check" in another tab. Then you stop, even if you're on a roll. After a few rounds, you take a longer break. That's it.
Why does something so simple work? Because 25 minutes doesn't scare anyone. "Write my thesis" is paralyzing. "Write for 25 minutes" is something anyone can do. And once you've started, the hardest part is behind you.
Why a group changes everything
Alone, the urge to cheat never goes away: you push the timer back, you take "just five more minutes". With others, even without a word spoken, the whole mood shifts.
You say your goal out loud. Announcing "I'm finishing section 2.1" creates a small commitment. Nobody wants to come back empty-handed.
The silence is shared. Knowing other people are working at the same time, even remotely, helps you stay focused.
Breaks actually recharge you. Five minutes chatting with the group does more for you than five minutes of scrolling.
You feel less alone with the monster. The others are wrestling with their reading lists too. It puts things in perspective.
How a group session runs
A good session lasts 90 minutes to 2 hours. Its structure fits on a sticky note:
Check-in (5 minutes). Each person says, in one sentence, what they want done by the end. Specific and realistic: "edit 3 pages", not "make progress".
First 25-minute block. Mics off, everyone works. Nobody talks.
5-minute break. Stand up, stretch, say in one sentence where you're at.
Repeat three or four times.
Wrap-up (5 minutes). Goal reached or not? What got in the way? Set the next session.
You don't need to study the same thing. A history student, a biology student and a law student can work perfectly well side by side. What ties them together is the shared rhythm.
Break your thesis into 25-minute tasks
The whole trick is turning a giant project into small tasks that each fit into one block. For example:
read and summarize one article from your reading list;
write a rough draft of one paragraph, without editing;
rephrase your research question in three different ways;
format the references for one chapter;
proofread two pages;
prepare questions for your next interview.
The night before, write the list of blocks for the next day. When the session starts, all you have to do is pick the first one.
Traps to avoid
A vague task. "Work on part 2" isn't a task. "Write the introduction to part 2" is.
Your phone within reach. Put it in another room, or at least face down and on silent.
Skipping breaks. They're part of the method. Without them, you last two hours, then nothing.
Perfectionism. A first draft doesn't need to be pretty. It needs to exist. You'll fix it in another block.
Find your work group with Viatous
Your friends keep different hours, your classmates are scattered on internships, and your thesis is moving at a snail's pace? On Viatous , you write what you want to do, for example: "Looking for 2 or 3 people to work on our theses in 25-minute sessions, online, on Sunday mornings."
Viatous understands what you're after and creates a Room of 2 to 4 compatible people, online or in person. Roomi, the Viatous robot, welcomes the group, walks everyone through the steps and reminds you of the ground rules. Then everyone gets to work. The camera is optional and you can mute your mic, which is exactly what you want during work blocks.
If the rhythm suits you, the Room can become a Circle that meets every week until your deadline, only if everyone wants to. The free plan includes one completed Room per week. For several sessions a week, Viatous Plus costs €4.99 a month, with no commitment.
Your thesis won't write itself. But it can get written alongside others, one block at a time. Close your tabs, pick your first task, and see how Viatous works .