Pomodoro Timer

How to Use the Pomodoro Timer

1. Set Focus length — how long one work block should be (1–180 min; the classic technique uses 25).
2. Set Short break and Long break — the pause after each focus block and the longer rest after a full set.
3. Set Long break after — after this many completed focus blocks the timer offers the long break instead of a short one.
4. Optionally type a Task name; it appears next to the timer and in the session log.
5. Leave Browser notifications checked if you want a desktop alert when a block or break ends (a short beep always plays).
6. Press Calculate, then use Start to begin. The same button pauses and resumes. Skip jumps to the next phase, Reset restarts the current block. Keyboard shortcuts: Space = start/pause, S = skip, R = reset.
7. Watch Today's Focus Statistics and the Completed Focus Sessions log fill up as you finish blocks. Statistics are saved in your browser and reset automatically the next day.

What Is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro technique is a simple time-management method: work in short, undistracted bursts and separate them with deliberate breaks. In its classic form, coined by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, you work for 25 minutes, rest for 5, and after four such blocks take a longer 15–30 minute break. The name comes from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo used as a student.

The method works because it attacks the two biggest enemies of concentration: procrastination and burnout. Starting a 25-minute block feels far less intimidating than "working all afternoon," which makes it easier to begin. The fixed end point also keeps you from grinding endlessly without recovery — the short breaks let attention refresh, and the long break rewards a completed set.

Interpreting your results is straightforward. The daily statistics show how many focus blocks and minutes you actually completed — an honest picture of productive time, not just hours spent at the desk. A typical 8-hour workday realistically fits 10–14 full 25-minute blocks once meetings and interruptions are counted. If you consistently finish fewer, the log helps you see whether blocks are being skipped or interrupted, which is the signal to protect your focus time better.

Use the ring and cycle dots as a progress cue: a red ring means you are in a focus block, a green ring means a break. The dots under the timer show how many focus blocks of the current set are done. If you want to check how much time a full week of cycles adds up to, or figure out when a session will finish, our time duration calculator and time calculator are handy companions.

Assumptions, Limitations and Practical Tips

• Keep the tab open. The timer uses real timestamps, so it stays accurate even in a background tab, but the page itself must remain open somewhere in your browser. Closing the page stops the timer, although finished blocks are already saved.
• Only completed focus blocks count. Skipping a block moves the timer forward but does not add it to your statistics — that keeps the numbers meaningful.
• Changing durations mid-session. A new length applies when the timer is idle; a running or partly elapsed block is not stretched, and it is never shortened inconsistently — press Reset to apply the new value immediately.
• Notifications need permission. The beep works everywhere, but desktop alerts appear only after you click Enable notifications and your browser accepts.
• Tune the lengths to your work. 25/5/15 suits focused desk work; for deep creative or programming sessions many people prefer 50/10 blocks, and for fragile attention spans 15/5 can work better. The long break every 3–4 blocks is a good rhythm for most people.
• Protect the block. The technique only pays off if the block is truly distraction-free: silence notifications, close unrelated tabs, and if something urgent comes up, either finish the block or skip it honestly rather than pretending you focused.
• For open-ended tasks with no fixed cycle, our online stopwatch with laps is a better fit, and after a full day you can convert your logged focus minutes for timesheets with the hours-to-decimal converter.