About the Pomodoro timer
The Pomodoro Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, breaks work into 25-minute focus intervals separated by 5-minute breaks, with a longer 15–30 minute rest after every four intervals. Follow our step-by-step Pomodoro guide and timetable for the planning, interruption, and tracking rules behind the timer loop.
Choose whether each new focus or break phase starts automatically or waits for you. You can skip a phase with the N key, select a silent or audible finish cue, and keep supported screens awake. While a phase runs, setup controls disappear into a quiet session view; your completed session information stays in your browser.
When Pomodoro is not helping
If the alarm keeps interrupting useful concentration, the problem may be the interval—not your discipline. Use our seven-part Pomodoro troubleshooting guide to decide whether to shorten, lengthen, or replace the cycle.
How to run a Pomodoro session
- Pick one task you want to finish and type it into the subject field.
- Press Start and use the interval as a boundary for that task.
- When the chime rings, take a 5-minute break — stand up and move.
- After four intervals, take the longer 15–30 minute rest.
- Leave auto-start off when you want to begin each phase deliberately, or turn it on for an uninterrupted cycle.
Making it stick
- Write down distractions on a scrap of paper and deal with them during the break.
- Use the break to step away from the task instead of quietly continuing it.
- After four intervals, take the longer break; it is part of the method, not a bonus.
- Adjust the interval length to the task and review the quality of the work, not just the number of completed sessions.