Pomodoro Timer

How to use the Pomodoro timer

1. Choose the task you will work on and press Start. The big clock counts down the first 25-minute focus session, and the browser tab shows the time left.
2. When the sound plays, stop and take the short break. With “Start the next session automatically” on, the break timer starts by itself; otherwise press Start.
3. After four focus sessions the timer gives you a long break, then starts again at round 1. The line under the clock shows the round you are in.
4. Pause stops the clock where it is, Skip moves to the next session, Reset goes back to the first focus session. The three tabs above the clock switch to a session type directly.
5. Change the lengths, the sound and the options in the form. A session that hasn’t started yet takes the new length at once; a running one finishes as it was set.

The page counts the focus sessions you finish today (skipped ones don’t count) and keeps that number in this browser only.

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s and named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used as a student (pomodoro is Italian for tomato). The classic rules are simple:

• Work on one task for 25 minutes without interruption — one “pomodoro”.
• Take a short break of 3 to 5 minutes.
• After four pomodoros, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The short, fixed time box makes it easier to start a task you have been putting off, and the breaks come before you are exhausted. Many people adjust the lengths: 50 minutes of focus and 10 minutes of break suits work that needs a long warm-up, while 15/3 can help on days when concentration is hard.

Example: how long is a cycle?

With the default settings a full cycle is 4 × 25 = 100 minutes of focus, 3 × 5 = 15 minutes of short breaks and one 15-minute long break: 130 minutes, of which 77% is focus time. With 50-minute sessions, 10-minute breaks and a 30-minute long break after three sessions, a cycle lasts 3 × 50 + 2 × 10 + 30 = 200 minutes. The cards and the step-by-step table above update as you change the numbers.

Sound, notifications and background tabs

Browsers slow down timers in background tabs to save power, so the end of every session is stored as a clock time, and the sound for it is scheduled ahead on the browser’s audio clock — it plays on time even when the tab is hidden. The clock catches up the moment you return. Browsers only allow sound after you have interacted with the page, which is why it starts with your click on Start.

Turn on notifications to get a message from your system when a session ends while you are in another tab or app; the browser asks for permission the first time you press Start. Keep the screen on stops a laptop or phone from dimming and locking while the timer runs, where the browser supports it.

Tips

• Decide what you will do before you press Start, and write down any distraction that pops up instead of acting on it — deal with the list in your break.
• Use the breaks to get up, drink water and look away from the screen.
• Keep this tab open and your device awake: a browser timer can’t ring when the computer sleeps or the tab is closed. For a single countdown use the online timer; for a fixed time of day, the alarm clock.
• Steady background sound can help to concentrate: play white, pink or brown noise in another tab.
• Add up your focused hours for the week with the hours calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Last updated: October 15, 2026