What this is
A working Pomodoro timer in your browser, no install. The defaults follow the original technique: 25 minutes of focused work, then a 5-minute short break. After every 4 work intervals, a longer 15-minute break replaces the short one. The cycle repeats. The progress ring fills as the timer runs; an audio cue marks the end of each phase so you don’t have to watch the clock.
Settings (focus length, short break, long break, how many work intervals between long breaks) save in your browser’s localStorage. Close the tab, come back tomorrow, your custom intervals are still there.
The completed-pomodoro counter persists across phase transitions but resets on page reload. Treat it as a per-session count, not an all-time counter.
What Pomodoro actually does
Pomodoro was invented in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, who used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (“pomodoro” is Italian for tomato) to force himself to focus on one task for 25 minutes without checking email, getting up, or context-switching. The key insight wasn’t the time interval, it was the commitment. For 25 minutes, you do exactly one thing. When the timer rings, you stop, even mid-sentence, and take a real break.
The 25-minute interval works for most people. It’s long enough to get into a flow state but short enough that knowing a break is coming keeps urgency high. People who try to extend it to 50 or 90 minutes often burn out faster, the breaks are doing real work too.
What actually drives results:
- Commitment to one task per pomodoro. If you context-switch during a focus block, that block doesn’t count.
- Real breaks during break time. Browsing Twitter is not a break. Walk, drink water, look at something far away.
- No interruptions. Notifications off, phone face-down. If something interrupts you, restart the pomodoro.
- Tracking completed pomodoros. A workday of 6-8 completed pomodoros is genuinely productive. More than 12 usually means individual blocks weren’t actually focused.
When the defaults don’t work
Some people genuinely can’t get into flow in 25 minutes. Writers and programmers often prefer 50/10 splits. Students cramming for exams sometimes use 90/20 splits to mimic exam conditions. Adjust the focus length in settings; the structure of work-then-break is what matters, not the specific minutes.
If you’re using Pomodoro for the first time, start with 25/5 for at least a week before tweaking. The discomfort of the first few days is the technique working, your brain isn’t used to forced single-tasking.
What an audio cue does
The beep at the end of each phase exists for one reason: so you can stop watching the timer. Most people who fail at Pomodoro spend half the focus block glancing at the clock to see how much time is left. With an audio cue, you can put the timer in a background tab, or even silence the tab and rely on the system’s audio playback. The countdown becomes invisible until it matters.
The implementation uses Web Audio API directly, no external sound files, no permissions needed beyond the standard “this site wants to play sound” gesture from the start button.
Frequently asked questions
Why 25 minutes specifically? Cirillo experimented with intervals from 10 minutes to 2 hours. 25 minutes was the sweet spot for him. There’s no magic in the number, it’s just convention. Modern research on attention spans broadly supports 25-45 minutes of focused work before fatigue sets in.
What if I’m in flow when the timer goes off? Take the break anyway. Pomodoro discipline says interruption protects against the cognitive collapse that comes after 60+ minutes of unbroken focus. If you need to capture an idea before walking away, jot one sentence on paper and step away.
Does this work for creative tasks? Yes, but you may want longer focus blocks (45+ minutes). Creative work often needs ramp-up time before flow kicks in.
Can I sync with my phone? Not built in. The timer is browser-local. For cross-device pomodoro counts, dedicated apps like Forest or Focus To-Do offer that, at the cost of accounts and ads.