One odd function of pomodoro timers is to viscerally demonstrate how little focused solo work is possible in a typical office environment. At Apple, 6 or 7 would be a very focused day! I felt guilty about this at first but then came to focus on using that time well.
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Now I work independently at home, and 14 pomo days are routine. It shocked me how *exhausting* that is. I'd work the same clock-hours, but end the day utterly drained. Took me a while to see that my 25th%ile day now has more focused time than any day in my entire time at Apple.
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I'm not saying pomo-time is the only valuable time: collab-time can be very valuable, and I miss it! More just that even after 11 years I'm still struck by how little focus-time a typical office day has. If you feel extra-drained suddenly WFH, maybe a glut of focus-time is why!
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Have been hearing similar sentiments here and there. Theory: "in person" is often driven by extroverts, who in self-fulfilling prophecy believe they create value by being around other people. Remote is often way, way more actually productive.