Pomodoro timer
Set your own focus and break lengths, take a longer break every few cycles, and keep a record of what you actually got done. No ads, no upsell, no account.
Open the Pomodoro timer →A working Pomodoro timer
Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere, and there is nothing to sign up to.
| Time left | — |
|---|---|
| Now | — |
| Pomodoros done | 0 |
| Focus time today | 0m |
| Finishes at / full set | — |
How the technique works
- Pick one thing to work on. Not a list — one thing.
- Set the timer and work only on that until it rings.
- Take a short break away from the screen.
- After four cycles, take a longer break of 15–30 minutes.
The mechanism is simpler than it looks. Starting is the hard part of most work, and "25 minutes" is a much smaller commitment to make than "write the report". The timer also gives permission to ignore everything else, which is often the real blocker.
25 minutes is not sacred
Francesco Cirillo used a 25-minute tomato-shaped kitchen timer in the late 1980s — hence pomodoro. The number is an accident of what was on his desk. What matters is that the block is short enough to start without dread and long enough to get somewhere.
| Block | Break | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 15 min | 3 min | Severe procrastination, admin you hate, ADHD-friendly starts |
| 25 min | 5 min | The classic default, mixed work |
| 50 min | 10 min | Writing, studying, design — work that needs a run-up |
| 90 min | 20 min | Deep technical work; roughly one ultradian cycle |
Making it actually work
Decide the task before you start the timer
"Do some work on the presentation" produces a session of drifting. "Write the three bullets for slide 4" produces a finished slide. The specificity does most of the work.
Capture interruptions instead of chasing them
When something pops into your head mid-session, write one line down and carry on. Nearly all of it can wait 20 minutes, and having somewhere to put it stops it circling.
Take the break properly
Stand up. Look at something more than six metres away. Get water. Scrolling a feed during the break gives your attention nothing back — you return no fresher than you left.
Count sessions, not hours
"I did six focused blocks today" is a far more honest measure than "I was at my desk for eight hours". Most people discover their genuine capacity is four to six good blocks a day, and that is fine.
Palarid records completed cycles locally so you can see your week. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no account to create.
When not to use it
The technique fits badly with work that needs long, uninterrupted immersion — complex debugging, deep mathematics, extended writing where you finally get going at minute 40. A timer that interrupts flow is worse than no timer. Use longer blocks, or none at all, for that kind of work. It also fits badly with reactive roles where you cannot control interruptions; there, the honest fix is to protect a couple of hours, not to run a timer through chaos.
Common questions
What if I finish early?
Cirillo's rule is to spend the remaining time reviewing or improving the same work rather than starting something new. In practice, taking the break early is fine if the task is genuinely done.
What if I am in flow when it rings?
Keep going. The timer serves the work, not the reverse. If this happens often, your blocks are too short.
Does it help with ADHD?
Many people find external time structure and short commitments helpful, and shorter blocks of 10–15 minutes often work better than 25. It is a coping tool rather than a treatment, and it is worth discussing what works for you with a clinician if you have a diagnosis.
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