- What is the Pomodoro Technique?
- The Pomodoro Technique is a time-management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. You break work into focused intervals — traditionally 25 minutes long — separated by short breaks. Each interval is called a 'pomodoro' (Italian for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo originally used). The structure forces a single-task discipline that pushes back against context-switching, and the regular breaks keep mental fatigue from compounding through the day.
- How long is a Pomodoro session?
- A standard pomodoro is 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute short break. After every 4 completed pomodoros you take a longer 15- to 30-minute break to fully reset. This timer uses 25/5/15 by default, but you can change any of the three durations from the settings panel and your preferences will persist across reloads.
- When should I take a long break?
- After every 4 completed focus sessions. The short 5-minute breaks are designed to keep blood flowing and reset attention without breaking flow; the long break (15 minutes by default) is your chance to step away from the desk, eat something, or let an idea incubate. The timer auto-switches to a long break on the 4th, 8th, 12th... pomodoro and announces it on screen.
- Does the timer keep going if I close the tab?
- No. Browser timers pause when a tab is fully closed, so the countdown stops if you close this page. The tab title also updates with the remaining time so you can keep it pinned in the background and check at a glance. If you grant notification permission, you will get a system notification when each interval ends — even if the tab is in the background — so you don't need to keep it visible.
- Can I customize the focus and break durations?
- Yes. Open the settings panel below the timer and set your own focus, short-break, and long-break durations in minutes. Common variations include 50/10 (deeper work with longer breaks) or 90/20 (aligned with ultradian rhythms). Your custom durations are saved to localStorage on this device, so they persist across sessions.
- Will I get a notification when a session ends?
- Yes — three signals fire at the end of every interval. A short audio chime plays (generated with the Web Audio API, so no external file is loaded), the browser tab title flashes the new mode, and if you have granted notification permission the browser will pop a system notification. This means you can run a pomodoro in a background tab and trust that the next interval boundary will surface itself.
