Timers / 02
Pomodoro Timer
Focus for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, and after four sessions take a longer one. Change the lengths, let each phase start by itself, and see how many sessions you finished today.
Pomodoro Timer: The timer runs the cycle focus, short break, focus, short break, and so on, with a long break after every fourth focus session. It alerts you at each switch with a sound and a notification, can start the next phase automatically, and counts today's finished focus sessions. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Time & calendar tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Focus session 1 · 1 of 4 before a long break
Space starts or pauses, S skips to the next phase. A long break comes after every fourth focus session unless you change it; 0 turns long breaks off.
Alerts
Alerts work while this tab is open, also in the background. Closing the tab or letting the computer sleep stops them. In a background tab the browser may deliver the alert a few seconds late.
How the pomodoro cycle works
Francesco Cirillo devised the technique in the late 1980s: choose one task, work on it for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, and after four of these rounds take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. Each 25-minute session is a pomodoro, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used.
The fixed length is the point: a short, visible deadline makes it easier to start and to ignore distractions, and the breaks come before you are tired. Write down interruptions that arrive during a session and deal with them in the break.
Adjusting the lengths
Twenty-five minutes suits many tasks but not all. Deep work such as writing or programming often goes better in 50-minute sessions with 10-minute breaks; draining work may need shorter ones. Set any length from 1 to 240 minutes, and set the long break to come after any number of sessions, or 0 for none.
With automatic start on, each phase begins as soon as the last one ends, so the timer keeps the rhythm without you touching it. Turn it off to start each phase yourself. For a single countdown, the online timer is simpler.
How to use it
- Keep the classic 25, 5, and 15 minutes or set your own.
- Press Start, or Space, and work until the alert.
- Take the break, then carry on; skip or reset whenever you need to.
Privacy & limitations
Your settings, the current phase, and today's count are kept in this browser only. Only if you switch on reminders with the tab closed does the page send TOEA's server this browser's push address and the times the coming phases end; each is deleted once sent or cancelled.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
A way of working devised by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s: pick a task, work on it for 25 minutes without interruptions, take a short break, and take a longer break after four rounds. It is named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used.
Do I have to use 25 minutes?
No. Many people prefer 50 minutes of focus and 10 of rest, or shorter sessions for tiring work. Set any length from 1 to 240 minutes; the long break can come after any number of sessions, or never, with 0.
What happens if I close the tab?
The page stops alerting, but with Also remind me when this tab is closed switched on, each phase end still arrives as a notification, for up to eight phases when they start by themselves. When you come back, the timer catches up to the phase running now and counts the focus sessions that ended meanwhile.
Can I use it with the screen off or the computer asleep?
The page's own alerts need it open, in a background tab at least. With reminders with the tab closed switched on, a phone with the screen off still gets the notifications; a computer that sleeps shows them when it wakes up.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required