Pomodoro Timer — focus, break, repeat

Click Start. Focus 25 minutes. Take a 5-minute break. After 4 cycles, take a 15-minute long break. Tab title and a soft audio chime tell you when each phase ends.

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique was created by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It splits work into 25-minute focused sessions called 'pomodoros' (Italian for tomato — Cirillo used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer), separated by 5-minute breaks. Every four pomodoros you take a longer 15- to 30-minute break. Two ideas underpin it: short bursts of full focus beat continuous half-attention, and frequent brief breaks prevent the cognitive fatigue that destroys productivity later in the day.

It works particularly well for tasks that feel intimidating or open-ended (writing, coding, studying, problem-solving). Committing to 'just one pomodoro' is a much smaller psychological lift than 'work on this all afternoon', which makes starting easier. The break schedule is non-negotiable in the canonical version — sticking to it is what prevents burnout. This timer follows the canonical 25/5/15 schedule by default, with sliders to customise.

How to use this timer

Pick the phase (Focus, Short break, Long break) and click Start. The 25-minute focus countdown begins immediately.
When the chime sounds, the timer auto-advances to the next phase (short break after focus, focus after break, long break every 4th cycle).
Use the duration sliders to customise. Common variants: 50/10 (longer focus), 90/20 (deep work), or the strict 25/5/15 default. Pause and reset are always available.

Frequently asked questions

Why 25 minutes?

Cirillo's original observation: 25 minutes is the longest most people can hold full focus on a non-fascinating task before attention starts wandering. It's also short enough that 'just one more pomodoro' feels easy to commit to. Research on attention spans broadly supports this: 25-90 minutes is the typical productive range.

What if I'm in flow when the timer rings?

Two schools of thought. Cirillo's original rule: take the break anyway — the next session benefits from a rested mind. Modern adaptations: finish the immediate sub-task, then take a slightly delayed break. Don't make 'I was in flow' an excuse to skip breaks entirely; the benefit accumulates over a day, not within one session.

What should I do during breaks?

Anything that's not screen-based and not work-related. Stand up, walk, drink water, look out a window. Scrolling Twitter doesn't count — your visual cortex is still working. The break is meant to reset attention, which means stepping fully away.

Can I use this on my phone?

Yes — it's a web app, runs in mobile browsers. The audio cue requires the browser tab to be focused or the device to allow background audio (sites running PWA-style). For background timers when the screen is off, use a native timer app.

What about Pomodoro for studying?

The technique works very well for study because of the 'just one more' effect. Combine with two other study techniques — active recall during focus sessions and spaced repetition between days — and you get most of the way to optimal learning.

Common use cases

Where Pomodoro changes the way work feels.

Tackling intimidating tasks

When a task feels too big to start ('write the quarterly report'), commit to 'one Pomodoro on the report'. After 25 minutes you'll usually want to keep going. Lowering the activation cost is most of the benefit.

Studying for exams

Sustained study sessions of 3+ hours feel productive but retention drops sharply after the first 90 minutes. Pomodoro's enforced breaks keep retention high across longer days.

Coding deep work

Programmers especially benefit from short break enforcement — staring at the same problem for 90 minutes often loops on the wrong solution; a 5-minute walk frequently surfaces the right answer.

Writing and creative work

Writers report Pomodoro reduces the perfectionism trap — knowing 'I only have 25 minutes' produces a draft instead of edit-edit-edit on a single paragraph.

Tips and shortcuts

Habits that make Pomodoro stick.

Phone in another room

The biggest enemy of focus is the phone. During a Pomodoro, your phone should be physically out of reach — not just face-down. The mere presence of a smartphone reduces cognitive performance, even when not in use.

Track what you finish

Keep a tally of completed Pomodoros per task. Most people overestimate how long things actually take — the data quickly reveals true durations and improves planning.

Don't shorten breaks

Reducing 5-minute breaks to 2 is the most common Pomodoro failure mode. The break is what makes the next session work; cheating on it accumulates fatigue and produces worse afternoon work.

Pair with a single task list

Decide what you'll work on in advance — task list at the start of the day. During each Pomodoro, no task switching. The combo of pre-decided tasks + 25-min lock-in is what beats unstructured time.