Focus Timer
Two clocks, like a chess clock: one for work, one for your break. Tap to switch, and take your break whenever you need it, in as many pieces as you like. It keeps time in a background tab.
Start the work clock, then take your break whenever you need it. Space switches.
Session
Key facts
- A 50-minute work budget with a 10-minute break budget is one hour, however you split the break: one 10-minute break, or five of 2 minutes.
A chess clock for focused work
Set a work budget and a break budget, then start the work clock. When you reach a natural stopping point, or simply need a minute, tap Break: the work clock stops and the break clock runs. Tap Work to go back. Exactly one clock runs at a time, just like a chess clock, so every minute of the session is either work or break.
- Pick the budgets, for example 50 minutes of work and 10 of break.
- Start the work clock and work on one thing.
- Take your break whenever it suits you, all at once or in pieces. It comes out of the break budget.
- When the break budget runs out, the work clock takes over again; when the work clock reaches zero, you’re done.
Why not just Pomodoro?
Fixed rounds are great for getting started, but the bell often rings in the middle of a thought, and the break comes when you don’t need one. A break budget keeps the part that works, regular rest that adds up, and lets you choose the moment. Optional earned breaks (1 minute for every 5 of work, say) reward long stretches of focus, as in the Flowtime Technique. If you prefer the classic rhythm, the Pomodoro timer uses the same engine.
Focus view, app mode and your log
Press F, or the focus view button, to fill the screen with just the running clock; the controls fade until you move the mouse or tap, and Space still switches clocks. App mode hides the site around the timer, and you can add it to your home screen. When a session ends you get a summary: work done, how many breaks and how long in all, your longest stretch of focus and a strip of when the breaks happened. Today’s sessions stay in this browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from a Pomodoro timer?
A Pomodoro timer decides when you rest: 25 minutes of work, then a 5-minute break, whether or not you’re in the middle of something. Here you get a budget instead, say 50 minutes of work and 10 of break, on two clocks like a chess clock. Only one runs at a time. Take the break when you hit a natural stopping point, in one go or in pieces; whatever you use comes out of the budget.
Can I take my break in several pieces?
Yes. Tap Break (or press Space) whenever you want to stop, and tap Work (or Space again) to get back to it. Every piece comes out of the same break budget, and the session strip shows when each break happened.
What happens when the break budget runs out?
A chime plays and the work clock starts again on its own, so a break can’t quietly turn into an afternoon. If you’d rather it waited for you, set “When the break runs out” to Pause. When the work clock reaches zero, the session is done and saved to today’s log.
What are earned breaks?
With earned breaks on, every few minutes of work add to the break budget: at 1 minute per 5, 50 minutes of work earn 10 minutes of break. It’s the idea behind the Flowtime Technique and “Flowmodoro”: work for as long as you’re focused, then rest in proportion. You can combine it with a fixed break budget, or set the fixed budget to 0 and only earn.
Does it keep time in a background tab or with the screen locked?
Yes. Both clocks are worked out from timestamps, not by counting seconds, so they stay exact in a background tab, and if your break runs out while you’re away the work clock picks up at the exact moment it did. The chime is queued ahead on the audio clock, the tab title shows the countdown, and you can turn on a notification. While a clock runs the screen stays on, where the browser allows it.
Where are my sessions saved?
Finished sessions (work time, breaks and the strip of when they happened) are saved in this browser only, for today’s log and the last 7 days. Nothing is sent to Binary Decimal. Use Backup & sync to keep a copy or move it to another device.