Pomodoro Timer
Focus for 25 minutes, rest for 5. The timer runs the cycle for you.
Timer settings
What the Pomodoro Technique is
The Pomodoro Technique is a simple way to structure focused work: pick one task, work on it without interruption for a set stretch — classically 25 minutes — then take a short break, and repeat. Every fourth work block earns a longer break. The method was named in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, after the tomato-shaped ("pomodoro" in Italian) kitchen timer he used as a student. Each completed work block is called one pomodoro.
The point is not the tomato; it is the commitment. A running timer turns "I'll work on this for a while" into a concrete, countable unit, which makes it easier to start, easier to protect against distractions, and easier to see real progress at the end of the day.
Using the timer
- Set your lengths — focus, short break, long break, and how many pomodoros come before a long break — or leave the classic 25 / 5 / 15 / 4 defaults.
- Press Start and work on one thing only until the focus block ends.
- Take the break the timer gives you. Turning on auto-start chains the sessions together so you never have to touch the timer between them.
The arithmetic of a work session
One full set is four pomodoros: four focus blocks, three short breaks between them, and one long break at the end. For the classic timing that is 4 × 25 minutes of focus, plus 3 × 5 minutes of short breaks, plus a 15-minute long break.
Example 1 — a classic set. Four 25-minute pomodoros give 100 minutes of actual focus. Add three 5-minute breaks (15 min) and one 15-minute long break, and the whole set spans 130 minutes — a little over two hours for 100 minutes of deep work.
Example 2 — filling a three-hour block. With 25/5 timing, each pomodoro-plus-break is 30 minutes, so a 180-minute afternoon holds about six pomodoros — roughly 150 minutes of focus and 30 of rest, with one short break swapped for a long one after the fourth.
Example 3 — estimating a task. If you judge a report to be about five pomodoros of work, that is 5 × 25 = 125 minutes of focus, or just over two classic hours. Sizing upcoming tasks in whole pomodoros is one of the technique's most useful habits.
Common interval presets
| Style | Focus | Short break | Long break | Focus per set | Full set length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 25 min | 5 min | 15 min | 100 min | 130 min |
| Extended | 50 min | 10 min | 20 min | 200 min | 250 min |
| Long-form | 90 min | 20 min | 30 min | 360 min | 450 min |
"Full set length" counts four focus blocks, three short breaks, and one long break.
Common mistakes
- Ending a pomodoro early, or letting it run over. The fixed length is the whole point; if you finish early, use the leftover time to review or tidy the task rather than resetting the clock.
- Skipping breaks. The breaks are what keep the focus blocks sharp; dropping them to "save time" usually just slows the later blocks.
- Letting interruptions in. If something arrives mid-block, jot it down and deal with it at the break instead of breaking focus.
- Blocks that are too long. Very long focus stretches sound productive but often erode attention; shorter, protected blocks are easier to sustain across a whole day.
Limits
Pomodoro is a scheduling and attention aid, not a fit for every kind of work. Tasks that need long uninterrupted flow, or that are inherently unpredictable, may fight the fixed intervals — adjust the lengths to suit the work rather than the other way around. The timer counts your sessions on this device only; nothing is uploaded.
Sources & further reading
Frequently asked questions
What is the Pomodoro Technique, and why 25 minutes?
The Pomodoro Technique alternates 25 minutes of focus with 5-minute breaks — one set is a "pomodoro" — and inserts a longer break of about 15 minutes every 4 pomodoros. 25 minutes is short enough to start without resistance yet long enough for deep focus, so this pomodoro timer uses a 25-minute timer by default and rotates the cycle automatically. Press Start once and the focus-break switching is handled for you.
Can I change the focus and break lengths to my own rhythm (like 50/10)?
Yes. In the timer settings you can set focus time to 1–90 minutes, short breaks to 1–30, long breaks to 1–60, and the long-break interval to every 2–8 pomodoros. Build a 50-minute deep-work focus timer or a 90-minute study timer — out-of-range values are corrected automatically, and your settings are saved in the browser and restored on your next visit.
Is it accurate when the tab is in the background?
Yes. Instead of counting ticks, this focus timer stores the exact end time when a session starts and recomputes the remaining time from the clock on every update. Even if the browser throttles background tabs, the correct time shows the moment you return — and if the session already ended, it alerts and switches immediately. The remaining time also appears in the tab title so you can watch it from another window.
I can't hear the alert sound — why?
Browsers only allow sound after you interact with the page, so this timer arms the audio the moment you press Start. Focus endings use a higher beep (880Hz) and break endings a lower one (660Hz), so you can tell them apart without looking. If you still hear nothing, check the system volume, tab mute and your phone's silent switch. Without Web Audio support, a notice appears and the alert stays visual.
Where is my daily pomodoro count stored?
Today's count and your timer settings are stored only in your browser (localStorage) — nothing is sent to a server. No sign-up or install is needed, and the count automatically resets to zero when the date changes. Clearing browser data or opening the page on another device starts a fresh count.