Pomodoro Timer
The classic 25-minute focus session with a 5-minute break and a longer break every 4 sessions -- every interval editable, with auto-advance and a session counter.
Session 1 · Focus
Completed focus sessions: 0
The cycle, worked out
At 25/5/15-minute focus/short/long with a long break every 4 sessions, the first 8 focus sessions run:
Total time for those 8 sessions and their breaks: 4:05:00.
The cycle this timer runs
At the default settings -- 25-minute focus sessions, 5-minute short breaks, a 15-minute long break every 4 sessions -- eight full focus sessions and their breaks take 4:05:00. That schedule is generated by the same function the running timer uses internally, not typed out separately, so if you change the settings on the timer above, the "cycle, worked out" table there updates to match exactly.
Every focus session in that schedule is followed by a short break, except the 4th, 8th and so on, which get the longer break instead -- and the very last session in a run has no break scheduled after it at all, since there's nothing left to return to.
Why the alarm differs between focus and break
A focus session ending plays a chime (three ascending notes); a break ending plays a shorter, sharper beep -- both synthesized, not audio files. The difference is deliberate: the two sounds are easy to tell apart without looking at the screen, so you know at a glance (or rather, at a glance-free listen) whether you're being called back to work or sent off for a break.
Where this differs from a plain timer
The Online Timer runs one duration and stops. This tool tracks a position in an ongoing cycle -- which session you're on, whether you're in a focus block or a break, and how many focus sessions you've completed since the last reset -- and uses that position to decide what comes next automatically, the same way a real kitchen Pomodoro timer would if it could also count your breaks for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
A time-management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s: work in focused 25-minute blocks ("pomodoros," named for the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he originally used), each followed by a short break, with a longer break after every four pomodoros. The rhythm is meant to keep long stretches of work from becoming one exhausting, unbroken block.
Can I change the 25/5/15 timing?
Yes -- the focus length, short break, long break, and how many sessions pass before a long break are all editable fields under the timer. Changes only apply the next time you press Start; a session already running keeps its original length.
What does "auto-advance" do?
With it on, the timer moves straight into the next session (break after focus, focus after break) a couple of seconds after the alarm, so you don't have to touch anything between sessions. Turn it off to have the timer stop and wait for you to press Start again at each transition -- useful if you want a moment to actually get up during a break rather than have the next focus block sneak up on you.
Does the session counter reset if I pause?
No -- pausing and resuming keeps your place in the current session and the overall session count. Only pressing Reset returns you to session 1.
Why does a long break come after every 4 sessions by default?
That's Cirillo's original cadence and it's this timer's default too, but it's one of the editable settings -- set "Sessions per long break" to whatever cycle actually fits how you work.
Every timer here runs entirely in your browser -- nothing you set is sent anywhere. The countdown display isn't a substitute for a certified stopwatch or a safety-critical timing device; see the Terms.