Pomodoro Timer
Focus in timed sessions with short and long breaks in between.
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique is a way of working in short, focused blocks separated by small breaks. Francesco Cirillo developed it in the late 1980s while he was a university student, timing his study sessions with a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato. "Pomodoro" is Italian for tomato, and each focus block is called a pomodoro.
The classic pattern is 25 minutes of focus followed by a 5-minute break. After four focus sessions you take a longer break, usually 15 to 30 minutes. The idea is simple: a fixed, short stretch of time is easier to start than an open-ended task, and regular breaks help you keep going for longer.
How to use this timer
Pick a preset above the ring, then press Start. The label above the digits always tells you which phase you are in, Focus, Short break or Long break, and the ring fills as the phase runs. The four dots under the digits show how many focus sessions you have finished on the way to your long break.
Pause whenever you are interrupted and press Resume to carry on from the same second. Skip jumps straight to the next phase, and Reset starts the cycle again from the first focus session. The remaining time and phase appear in the browser tab, so you can check it without switching back.
The gear button opens settings: your own focus and break lengths, how many sessions come before a long break, whether the next phase starts by itself, and alerts. You can turn on a soft chime, a desktop notification, and Keep screen awake, which keeps your screen from dimming or locking while this page is open and visible. Your settings are saved in this browser only.
Keyboard: Space starts and pauses, R resets and F opens fullscreen.
25/5 or 50/10: which to choose
25/5 is the classic choice and a good place to start. Short sessions make it easy to begin, suit tasks with lots of small steps, and give frequent chances to stretch, drink water and rest your eyes.
50/10 suits deep work that takes a while to get into, such as writing, design or programming. If you often find that the 25-minute alarm arrives just as you hit your stride, try the longer rhythm. 45/15 sits in between, with a more generous break for tiring work.
There is no single right answer. Try one pattern for a few days, notice when your attention starts to slip, and adjust. Custom lengths let you match the timer to the way you actually work.
Common mistakes
- Skipping breaks. Working through them feels productive at first, but the breaks are what make the next session sharp. Step away from the screen if you can.
- Doing small chores during a focus session. Write the thought down and come back to it in the break, so the session stays about one thing.
- Choosing a task that is too big. "Finish the report" is hard to start. "Draft the introduction" fits neatly into one session.
- Treating the timer as a rule you must never break. If you are in the middle of a thought, finishing it is fine. The timer is there to help you, not to judge you.
- Hiding the timer tab. Most browsers keep timing correctly in the background, but keep screen awake only works while this page is visible.