Pomodoro Timer
Work in focused stretches with breaks between them.
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25:00
Focus sessions completed: 0
Recent sessions
How it works
The technique alternates a focused work block with a short break, and a longer break after several rounds. The classic figures are twenty-five minutes of work and five of rest, with a longer break every fourth round, but the intervals here are adjustable because the useful length varies with the task and the person.
Each phase is stored as the instant it ends rather than as a running count, so switching tabs, locking the screen or a slow machine cannot push the schedule out. A one-second interval runs alongside the animation frames, because browsers stop the latter in hidden tabs and a phase change would otherwise be missed entirely.
The point of the method is the enforced stop, not the timer. Working through a break defeats it; the value comes from the break being non-negotiable, which is why the transition is announced rather than left for you to notice.
Examples
A standard session. Four rounds of twenty-five minutes with five-minute breaks, then a longer rest. That is roughly two hours of focused work with the recovery built in rather than bolted on.
Longer blocks for deep work. Some tasks take twenty minutes just to load into your head. Fifty-minute blocks with ten-minute breaks suit that better than the classic figures.
Shorter blocks when you are stuck. When starting is the hard part, fifteen minutes is a much easier commitment to make, and it is usually enough to get past the resistance.
Practical notes
The intervals are a starting point rather than a rule. Twenty-five minutes suits work you can pick up quickly; tasks with a long warm-up — reading a codebase, drafting something substantial — often work better at forty-five or fifty, because the first ten minutes of every block are spent reloading context.
The break is the part people discard, and it is the part that does the work. A break spent on a screen showing similar information is not much of a break; standing up and looking at something further than arm's length is measurably better.
The method suits tasks you are avoiding better than tasks you are absorbed in. If you are already in flow, an alarm that interrupts it costs more than the break returns — that is a good moment to ignore the timer rather than a failure of the technique.
Frequently asked questions
Why 25 minutes?
It is the interval the original technique used, short enough to start without dread and long enough to get somewhere. If it does not suit your work, change it — nothing here depends on the number.
Does it keep counting in a background tab?
Yes. The display may update less often while hidden, but the remaining time is read from the real clock, so it is correct the moment you return.
Is my session history private?
It never leaves your browser. Clearing site data removes it.
Can I change the interval lengths?
Yes. Twenty-five and five are the traditional figures, not a rule. Match them to the work: long blocks for tasks with a slow warm-up, short ones when getting started is the difficulty.
Does the timer keep running in a background tab?
Yes. Each phase ends at a stored instant, and a one-second interval keeps the transition firing when animation frames stop.
Should I skip a break if I am in flow?
That is a judgement call, but skipping breaks routinely turns the method back into ordinary uninterrupted work. The enforced stop is what the technique is for.
How many rounds before a long break?
Four is traditional. The point is a longer recovery once concentration starts to degrade, so adjust it to when that actually happens for you.
Does it track what I worked on?
No. It times the cycle and nothing else — no logging, no account, nothing uploaded.
What if a task takes less than one block?
Group small tasks into a single block. The technique works on the interval, not the task.
Does it make a sound between phases?
Yes, and a notification too if you allow them — the transition is the part worth not missing.