What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. Work is divided into focused intervals (traditionally 25 minutes), separated by short breaks. After 4 focus sessions, take a longer break.

How to use the timer

Define the task you want to work on.
Click Start and work until the timer rings.
Take a short break (5 minutes).
After 4 focus sessions, take a long break (15-30 minutes), then start again.

Adjust the focus and break durations in the settings above and click Apply to save them.

Why it works

The Pomodoro Technique addresses several common obstacles to productivity:

Time anxiety: knowing you only need to focus for 25 minutes makes it easier to start
Interruptions: it creates a structured window for deep work, reducing the temptation to multitask
Procrastination: breaking work into small, fixed-length units lowers the activation energy needed to begin
Fatigue: scheduled breaks prevent mental exhaustion and maintain focus quality throughout the day

Customizing your intervals

The traditional 25/5/15 split works for many people, but experiment to find what suits you:

Shorter focus periods (15-20 min): good for repetitive tasks or when concentration is harder
Longer focus periods (45-60 min): better for deep work, programming, or writing that requires extended concentration
Longer short breaks (10 min): helpful if your work involves physical movement or screen fatigue