Pomodoro timer for your desk
A pomodoro timer puts the current focus block or break in digits you can read from across the room. Leave it on an iPad or a spare screen and let the chime mark the change.
How to use
The digits show the block you are about to run. Focus is twenty-five minutes unless a link or a preset already chose another length. Press Start, or the space bar, to begin, and press it again to pause. Skip moves to the next phase without counting a skipped focus block. Reset restarts the current phase and leaves the count alone. Hold Reset to clear today's count and the cycle dots. Filled dots are focus blocks finished in this round. Under them, the line shows today's count next to the goal, then the task if you set one.
Set it up on an iPad or second screen
Put an iPad on a stand, or move the browser window to a second monitor and leave it there. In Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen, and open the page from the new icon so the browser bars stay hidden. The page asks for a wake lock while this tab is open. iPadOS can still sleep on its own, so set Auto-Lock to Never on a device you leave running. For a shared desk, turn on Guided Access under Settings, then Accessibility. At night, lower Dim. Press F for fullscreen on a desktop. Focus uses the accent color, and both breaks use the second accent, with a light tint behind the digits.
Customize it
The table lists every control and the URL parameter that stores it. Change a value and the address bar updates, so a bookmark is a complete setup. Theme, font, scale, dim, sound, and volume are shared across tools on this site. Lengths, the round size, auto-start, the daily goal, and the task belong to this page. A length you change while a block is running waits until the next phase or the next reset. Set the daily goal to 0 to hide the target.
| Setting | URL param | Allowed values | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| FocusLength of a focus block. 1 to 180 minutes. | work | 60–10800 seconds. URL form: 90s, 25m, or 1h30m | 1500 seconds |
| Short breakBreak between focus blocks. 1 to 60 minutes. | short | 60–3600 seconds. URL form: 90s, 25m, or 1h30m | 300 seconds |
| Long breakBreak after a full round. 1 to 90 minutes. | long | 60–5400 seconds. URL form: 90s, 25m, or 1h30m | 900 seconds |
| Long break everyHow many focus blocks make one round. | every | 2–8, step 1 | 4 |
| Auto startStart the next phase as soon as this one ends. | auto | On (1) or off (0) | Off |
| Daily goalFocus blocks to aim for today. 0 hides the goal. | goal | 0–20, step 1 | 8 |
| TaskShown under the count. Up to 60 characters. | task | Text, up to 60 characters | Empty |
| Theme | theme | Midnight (midnight), Carbon (OLED) (carbon), Paper (paper), Forest (forest), Dusk (dusk), Ocean (ocean), Aurora (aurora), Terminal (terminal), Graphite (graphite), Porcelain (porcelain) | Midnight (midnight) |
| Font | font | System (sans), JetBrains Mono (mono), Space Grotesk (grotesk), Fraunces (serif), Bebas Neue (condensed), Orbitron (digital), Condensed Bold (flip) | System (sans) |
| Scale | scale | 50–150, step 5% | 100% |
| Dim | dim | 0–80, step 5% | 0% |
| Burn-in shiftNudge the display a few pixels so a static clock does not mark the screen. | shift | On (1) or off (0) | On |
| Sound | sound | Bell (bell), Digital (digital), Soft (soft), Off (off) | Bell (bell) |
| Volume | vol | 0–100, step 5 | 70 |
Keyboard shortcuts
These keys work when focus is not in a text field. The shell handles fullscreen, settings, hiding the bars, and this list. This page adds start, pause, skip, and reset. Press the question mark whenever you need the list again. Hold the Reset button, rather than a key, when you want today's count cleared.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| F | Fullscreen |
| S | Settings |
| H | Hide or show the interface |
| ? | Keyboard shortcuts |
| Esc | Close |
| Space | Start or pause |
| N | Skip to the next phase |
| R | Reset this phase |
What a pomodoro timer is
Francesco Cirillo named the technique after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used to work in short blocks with breaks between them. The usual lengths are 25 minutes of focus and 5 minutes of rest, then a longer break after four focus blocks. You decide the block before you start, and the end stays visible, so the work does not sprawl and the break is not a negotiation. This page keeps that shape and lets you change the lengths. It does not grade your focus or keep a history beyond today's count on this device. When a block ends, the chime plays if sound is unlocked, the label changes, and the next phase is waiting.
Variations
The classic lengths are the default. A 50 10 pomodoro is fifty minutes on and ten off, with a longer pause after three blocks. The 52 17 timer uses a seventeen minute rest. A 90 minute pomodoro is one deep block. Each page opens with those lengths already set. For a single countdown, use the online timer, or the clock when you also want the time of day.
FAQ
Will the chime play if my screen is locked?
Only while this page is open and the device is awake. The chime is scheduled when a phase starts, so another browser tab does not make it late. A locked screen, a sleeping computer, or a closed tab cannot play it. On an iPad, set Auto-Lock to Never and leave the page on a stand. The page asks for a wake lock, and the system can still turn the screen off.
Does today's count reset at midnight?
Yes. The count is stored with the local date on this device. When that date changes, the number returns to zero, including when a focus block ends after midnight. The reset follows the clock in the room, not a time zone you pick in settings. Closing the tab does not clear the count. Clearing site data for this host does. The goal beside the count is only a target. Reaching it does not stop the cycle.
What happens if I skip a block?
Skip ends the current phase and moves to the one that would have come next. A skipped focus block does not add to today's count and does not fill another dot. Skipping the last focus block of a round still opens the long break, without counting that block. Reset is different: it restarts the phase you are already in and leaves the count alone. Hold Reset to clear today's count and the dots.
Can I change the lengths while a block is running?
The block that is already running keeps the length it started with. New focus, short break, and long break values apply on the next phase, or as soon as you reset. A change does not jump the digits in the middle of a block. Auto-start, the round length, the daily goal, and the task line update while you work. The task line is a label on this screen. It is not a saved list of tasks.
How is this different from the 25 minute timer?
The online timer runs one countdown and stops. This page runs a cycle: focus, a short break, and a longer break after the round you set. The usual lengths are 25 minutes of focus and 5 minutes of rest, then 15 minutes after four focus blocks. You can open a 50/10, 52/17, or 90 minute variation if that fits the work better. Use the plain timer when you want one length and no phase change.