Pomodoro timer

Focus for a set time, take a short break, repeat, and take a longer break every few rounds. Start with the classic 25 and 5 or set your own lengths; the full schedule is shown before you begin.

Focus 1 of 4

25:00

One task. Park anything that comes to mind on paper and come back to it at the break.

Step 1 of 8 · Next: Short break · 2 h 10 min in total

Chime at each change

Full schedule (8 steps, 2 h 10 min)

#	Step	Starts at	Length
1	Focus 1 of 4	0:00	25:00
2	Short break	25:00	5:00
3	Focus 2 of 4	30:00	25:00
4	Short break	55:00	5:00
5	Focus 3 of 4	1:00:00	25:00
6	Short break	1:25:00	5:00
7	Focus 4 of 4	1:30:00	25:00
8	Long break	1:55:00	15:00

How to use the Pomodoro timer

Choose one task before you press Start. The method depends on it: a Pomodoro spent switching between email and a report is just a timed interruption.
Pick a preset or set your own lengths. Any change to the numbers switches the preset to Custom and rebuilds the schedule.
Press Start. A chime marks the end of each focus session and each break. The clock, the step you are on and the next step are shown on the page and in the tab title.
Take the break when it comes, even if you are in the middle of something. Stopping mid-flow makes it easier to start again after the break, because you know exactly what comes next.

How the schedule is built

The timer lays out the focus sessions in order and puts a break after each. After every nth session, where n is "long break every", the long break replaces the short one. With the classic settings that gives: focus, short, focus, short, focus, short, focus, long. If you untick "Finish with a break", the schedule ends as soon as the last focus session does, which suits a block that runs into a meeting or the end of the day.

Nothing else is assumed. The session's total length is the sum of every focus session and every break, and the table under the timer shows when each step starts, measured from the moment you press Start.

Worked example

The classic set is four 25-minute focus sessions, three 5-minute short breaks and one 15-minute long break at the end. That is 100 minutes of focus and 30 minutes of break: 2 hours 10 minutes in total, of which about 77% is focus time. Changing only the long break to 30 minutes stretches the set to 2 hours 25 minutes and brings the focus share down to about 69%. A morning from 9:00 with the classic set finishes its fourth focus session at 10:55 and the long break at 11:10.

Common patterns compared

Pattern	Sessions	Focus	Breaks	Total	Focus share
Classic 25 / 5, long 15	4	1 h 40 min	30 min	2 h 10 min	77%
50 / 10, long 30	4	3 h 20 min	1 h 20 min	4 h 40 min	71%
15 / 3, long 10	4	1 h	19 min	1 h 19 min	76%
90 / 20	2	3 h	40 min	3 h 40 min	82%

The 90 / 20 row is not a Pomodoro in Cirillo's sense; it is here because many people prefer a few long blocks for deep work. None of these patterns has been shown to be the best one. They differ in how often you stop, and the right choice depends on the work and on you.

Where a timer helps, and where it does not

A Pomodoro timer is good at two things: making it easier to start, because 25 minutes is a small commitment, and making sure you stop, because the breaks are scheduled rather than earned. It is less suited to work that is mostly reacting to other people, such as support queues or meetings, where the interruptions are the job.

It also does nothing on its own for the physical side of a long day at a desk. The breaks are a good moment to stand up and move; if you want the break itself guided, the stretch break timer combines a work interval with a short stretch routine, and the 20-20-20 timer adds short look-away breaks for your eyes.

This page stores nothing: no history of completed Pomodoros, no account and no settings between visits. If you want a count, a tally on paper next to your task list is the traditional method and works well.

Common questions

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

A time-management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. You work on one task for a fixed interval, traditionally 25 minutes, then take a short break, and after four intervals take a longer one. The name is Italian for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used.

Is 25 minutes the right length?

It is the traditional length, not a scientifically fixed one. Many people use 45 or 50 minutes for work that takes a while to get into, and 15 minutes for tasks they are avoiding. The method works through the habit of committing to one task for a set time and stopping for a break, so pick the length you can keep to.

What should I do during a Pomodoro break?

Something that is not work and not a screen, ideally: stand up, stretch, refill a drink, look out of a window. Reading messages is tempting, but it tends to pull you into a new task and makes the next focus session harder to start. The stretch break timer and the 20-20-20 eye timer suggest ways to use a break.

What happens if I get interrupted?

In the original method an interrupted Pomodoro does not count; you deal with the interruption and start a fresh one. With this timer you can press Pause and Resume, or Reset to start over. Either is fine: the timer is a tool, not a scorekeeper.

Does the timer work in the background?

Yes. The countdown is calculated from the clock time you pressed Start, so it stays accurate in a background tab, and the tab title shows the time remaining. Browsers may delay the chime by a second or so in a background tab. The timer stops if the tab is closed or the computer sleeps.