Productivity
Focus Timer
One task, one block, no negotiating. A plain countdown with nothing on screen competing for your attention.
Focus Timer
25:00
Ready
- Ends at
- —
- Elapsed
- 00:00
Settings
Space start or pause · R reset · F full screen
What this one is for
- Deliberately plain interface
- Full screen hides everything else
- Silent option for shared spaces
Attention breaks fastest when an alternative is available. The interface here is deliberately plain for that reason: nothing on screen is competing with the task you chose. It opens at 25:00; change that with the chips under the dial.
Worth knowing
- Focus breaks fastest when an alternative is visible, so close the alternatives.
- Write stray thoughts down in four words rather than chasing them.
- Never resolve a distraction inside the block, however small it looks.
Getting the most from the focus timer
- Name the task in one sentenceWith a verb in it. If it will not fit in a sentence, the task is too big for one block.
- Start before you feel readyMotivation follows starting, not the other way round. The countdown is the commitment device.
- Write the next action before you stopTen seconds now saves four minutes of reorientation next time.
Related timers
Questions people ask
How long can most people focus for?
Uninterrupted attention typically holds for twenty to forty-five minutes before it needs a genuine break. The timer's job is to stop you checking whether it has run out yet.
What if I finish before the alarm?
Use the remaining time to set up the next block: name the task and open what you need. That is the cheapest minute you will spend all day.
Does the focus timer work on a phone?
Yes, in any mobile browser. It asks to keep the screen awake while it runs so the alarm is not missed.