Free Pomodoro Timer (+ Guide)

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that breaks work into focused intervals, usually 25 minutes long, with short breaks between them.

Francesco Cirillo developed it in the late 1980s. Each interval is called a pomodoro, Italian for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo used as a university student.

That's why this timer is a tomato.

How the Pomodoro Technique works

The timer here does the counting for you. It starts the break when the pomodoro rings and the next pomodoro when the break ends, and it switches to the long break after your fourth.

How to use the pomodoro timer

Winding the timer is part of the method. Cirillo used a mechanical timer: winding it confirms you're starting, the ticking keeps you on the task, and the ring announces the break.

So you can wind this one by hand, switch on a soft tick in Settings, and hear a bell when it's done.

Why a 3D tomato?

Most pomodoro timers are a number counting down.

I wanted one that feels like the real thing: the top turns as the minutes run, it wobbles in the last seconds, and when it rings it hops and splashes, and the pomodoro drops into the basket under it.

Tap it to pause, and it squashes a little.

How long is a pomodoro?

The classic pomodoro is 25 minutes, with a 5-minute break and a longer break after four.

But the length isn't fixed. Pick the one that fits your work:

Short sprints help on a low-energy day or with a task you keep avoiding. Long focus suits writing, coding and design, where 25 minutes can end just as you get going.

You can set any length from 1 to 60 minutes in Settings.

What to do when you're interrupted

In the method, a pomodoro is indivisible: it either finishes or doesn't count.

When something interrupts you, there are two choices:

• Write it down for later – note it, get back to the task, and deal with it after the pomodoro. Press Interrupted? and save it, and it lands in your task list marked for later.
• Void the pomodoro – if it truly can't wait, stop, and start a fresh pomodoro when you're back.

The timer counts your interruptions in each pomodoro, so you can see which tasks get broken up most.

Pomodoro vs deep work

The two fit together.

Pomodoros work best for tasks you can split into small pieces, and for getting started when you're stuck.

Deep work suits long blocks on one hard problem, where a break every 25 minutes would pull you out.

If you want to plan longer sessions, use my deep work timer, and use the pomodoro timer for the rest of the day.

Tips to get more from your pomodoros

• Plan your tasks first – a short list of what you'll do today, with the first task picked before you start
• One task per pomodoro – if a task takes more than 4 or 5 pomodoros, split it into smaller ones
• Keep your phone away – out of reach and on silent, or in another room
• Take the break – stand up, move and look away from the screen, even when you feel like pushing on
• Review the day – your stats show how many pomodoros you finished and where your focus went

Who is the pomodoro timer for?

The pomodoro timer is for anyone who puts things off or gets pulled away mid-task, and it works well next to my other focus tools:

• Deep work timer – for writers, coders and creators who want blocks longer than 25 minutes, with the same music and scenes
• Daily schedule maker – for planning the whole day, with your pomodoros inside its blocks
• Brown noise generator – for anyone who works better with a steady sound
• Shutdown ritual – for ending the workday cleanly after your last pomodoro

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