Pomodoro Timer
Four 25-minute focus sessions with 5-minute breaks and a 15-minute long break, run automatically with a chime at every switch.
Pomodoro Timer
Focus 1 of 4
Ready
- Focus 1 · 25 min
- Break · 5 min
- Focus 2 · 25 min
- Break · 5 min
- Focus 3 · 25 min
- Break · 5 min
- Focus 4 · 25 min
- Long break · 15 min
Keys: Space start / pause · R reset · + add a minute · F full screen · Esc stop alarm
How it keeps time
- Focus 1 of 4: 25 minutes = 1,500 seconds.
- On Start: end time = the moment you start + 1,500 s, read from your device’s clock.
- Every update: time left = end time − now, rounded up to the whole second — so it never drifts, even in a background tab.
The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a time-management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It is named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used as a university student — pomodoro is Italian for tomato. The core routine is simple:
- Pick one task.
- Work on it for 25 minutes — one pomodoro — without switching to anything else.
- Take a short break of about five minutes.
- After four pomodoros, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.
How this timer runs the cycle
Press Start once and the whole set runs by itself: Focus 1 → break → Focus 2 → break → Focus 3 → break → Focus 4 → long break. That is 4 × 25 + 3 × 5 + 15 = 130 minutes. At each switch you hear a short chime (and phones that support it vibrate), the next period starts immediately, and the schedule above highlights where you are. Each period starts at the exact moment the previous one ended, so even if the tab spends an hour in the background, the timings don’t drift. A full alarm sounds only at the end of the long break.
Skip jumps to the next period — useful if you finish a task early or want to cut a break short — and +1 min extends the current period. For a longer long break, press +1 min during it. The remaining time and the current period show in the browser tab, for example “18:42 · Focus 2 of 4”.
Tips
Keep a list for distractions: when something pops into your head during a pomodoro, write it down (the notepad works in another tab) and deal with it in the break. Use breaks to move away from the screen. If 25 minutes feels too short or too long for your work, the single timers — 20, 30 or 45 minutes — let you experiment.
How this timer works
Press Start, tap the digits or press Space. The timer saves the end time on your device’s clock and shows end time − now, rounded up to the second, so it stays exact even when your browser slows down background tabs; the remaining time also shows in the tab’s title. The alarm is scheduled on the Web Audio clock for the end time and beeps for up to a minute (phones that support it also vibrate). While the timer runs, the page asks the browser to keep the screen on. Nothing is sent anywhere: the timer runs entirely in your browser.
Other timers
Shorter: 2 Hour Timer. For any other length, use the countdown timer; to time how long something takes, use the stopwatch. Counting down to a date instead? See the holiday countdowns.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a pomodoro?
Twenty-five minutes of focused work. Each one is followed by a short break of about five minutes.
How long is the long break?
The technique calls for 15 to 30 minutes after every four pomodoros. This timer uses 15 minutes; press +1 min during the break to lengthen it.
Who invented the Pomodoro Technique?
Francesco Cirillo, in the late 1980s. He named it after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used as a student.
Do the breaks start automatically?
Yes. When a focus period ends you hear a chime and the break starts straight away; when the break ends, the next focus period starts. Press Pause at any time.