Focus Timer
A work and break timer with a sound behind it. The noise fades in when a work period starts and fades out when the break does, so you hear the change instead of watching for it. The technique is usually called pomodoro.
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Ready
25:00
Round 1 / 4
There is no notification and no countdown in the tab title. The sound is the signal: it fades out when a break starts and back in when work resumes.
Audio starts on your first tap on Play, as required by your browser.
How a session runs
Press start and the first work period begins with the sound fading in. When it ends, the sound fades out over about four seconds and the break starts. The next round opens with the sound again. The session ends when the last break ends. The clock is the wall clock, so a session keeps its schedule while the tab sits in the background.
About the 25 and 5 default
A 25 minute work period with a 5 minute break is the pomodoro technique, named after a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato. There is nothing special about those numbers. Longer periods suit work you have to load into your head first; shorter ones suit work you keep bouncing off. Move the sliders and keep what you finish work with.
Why pair the timer with noise
Steady noise masks the sounds around you, which is the one thing this kind of sound is good at. Pairing it with the timer also makes the phase change audible: the sound receding is the break starting, so you do not have to watch a clock to notice. No claim beyond that is made here. The brown noise page carries what the research does and does not show.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a pomodoro timer?
Yes, in the sense that it counts a work period, then a break, and repeats. The defaults are the usual 25 and 5. You can set 5 to 90 minutes of work, 1 to 30 minutes of break, and 1 to 8 rounds.
Does it alert me when a period ends?
Only with sound. The noise fades out when a break starts and back in when work resumes. There is no notification, no alarm and no countdown in the tab title, and the page never asks your browser for permission to send one.
Does the timer keep running in a background tab?
Yes. It counts on the clock rather than on frames, so a tab the browser has throttled still shows the right time when you come back, and the sound still fades at the right moment.
Can I run it without sound?
Turn the volume slider all the way down and the timer runs on its own. There is no separate silent mode, because the sound is what marks the phase change. With it off you are watching the clock instead.