12 Minute Timer

12 minutes at a glance

In seconds	720 seconds
In hours	0.2 hours
In milliseconds	720,000 ms
Written as	00:12:00

On a timesheet 12 minutes is 0.2 hours. In code it is 720,000 milliseconds, usually written 12 * 60 * 1000 rather than as the literal number.

What fits into 12 minutes

• A Cooper test run
• Three drill blocks
• A short guided stretch

Twelve minutes is the Cooper test: run as far as you can in twelve minutes, and the distance estimates your aerobic capacity. It has been used by military and sports programmes since 1968 for exactly one reason, which is that it is simple and brutally honest.

Running a 12 minute block well

1. Name the one taskWrite it down in a sentence with a verb in it. A block that starts with 'what should I do' loses its first three minutes.
2. Remove the three usual exitsPhone in another room, unrelated tabs closed, drink already poured. Almost every abandoned block ends via one of those three.
3. Work to the alarm, not to doneIf the task finishes early, use the remainder to set up the next block rather than starting something new.
4. Write the next actionSpend the last thirty seconds noting where you got to. It is the difference between resuming in ten seconds and re-reading for four minutes.

It is also three four-minute drill blocks, a full set of physiotherapy exercises, or the length of one condensed news bulletin.

Other lengths

• 1 Minute TimerOne minute is a plank, a rinse of the kettle, a held…
• 2 Minute TimerTwo minutes is the classic tooth-brushing block and…
• 3 Minute TimerThree minutes covers a boxing round, a soft-boiled…
• 4 Minute TimerFour minutes is one full Tabata block: eight rounds…
• 5 Minute TimerFive minutes is the standard short break, and long…
• 6 Minute TimerSix minutes suits a mobility flow, a warm-up jog or…
• 7 Minute TimerSeven minutes is the length of the original…
• 8 Minute TimerEight minutes is two four-minute rounds, or one slow…
• 10 Minute TimerTen minutes is the sweet spot for a first meditation…
• 15 Minute TimerFifteen minutes is short enough to start without…
• 20 Minute TimerTwenty minutes is the nap length sleep researchers…

Need a little more or less time? Try the 10 minute timer or the 15 minute timer.

Questions people ask

What is a good Cooper test distance?

For a reasonably fit adult, somewhere between 2.0 and 2.4 kilometres in twelve minutes. Above 2.8 km is athlete territory, and below 1.6 km suggests conditioning work is worth prioritising.

How many seconds are in 12 minutes?

There are 720 seconds in 12 minutes, because every minute contains 60 seconds.

Can I pause the 12 minute timer and carry on?

Yes. The space bar or the pause button stops it where it is, and pressing again resumes from the same point rather than restarting at 12:00.

Does the countdown drift if I switch tabs?

No. It reads your device clock rather than counting animation frames, so a background tab, a locked screen or a slow connection cannot make it lose time.

Is the 12 minute timer free to use?

Yes, for personal and commercial use, with no sign-up and no limit. Use it in classrooms, gyms and streams without asking.