What is the Pomodoro technique?
Developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, the Pomodoro technique splits work into focused 25-minute intervals (one 'pomodoro', Italian for tomato — Cirillo used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer) separated by 5-minute breaks. After every fourth pomodoro you take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. The structure short-circuits the brain's tendency to drift after 20–30 minutes of sustained attention and turns vague tasks into countable units. Most knowledge workers report 8–12 pomodoros in a productive day; six is a realistic target if your work also involves meetings.
Is there evidence the technique actually works?
Yes, modestly. A 2020 meta-review in Frontiers in Psychology found that scheduled microbreaks of 5–10 minutes reduce mental fatigue and improve sustained-attention scores by around 11–14% versus unbroken sessions. The specific 25/5 ratio is not magic — studies have shown 50/10, 90/20, and 25/5 all produce similar gains as long as the break is genuinely a break (not switching to email). The technique mainly works because it gives you permission to stop, which counteracts the perfectionist tendency to push through diminishing returns.
What should I do during the 5-minute breaks?
Anything that is not the same kind of cognitive work as the pomodoro. Stand up, look out a window (combine it with the 20-20-20 eye rule — see /utility/eye-strain), drink water (/utility/hydration), stretch, refill coffee. Avoid social media, email, and news — these load the same attention systems you are trying to rest. The 15-30 minute long break after four pomodoros is a good time to eat, walk outside, or take a real break. If you cannot fully disconnect during a break the technique loses most of its benefit.
Can I customise the durations?
Yes — the inputs above let you set any work and break length. Common variants are 50/10 (deep work, popular among writers), 90/20 (matches the body's ultradian rhythm), and the 'Animedoro' 60/20 favoured by students. Shorter sessions (15/3) suit ADHD-style work. Longer than 90 minutes is rarely productive without a proper break — fatigue accumulates faster than people expect. Use the configurable durations to find what fits your task, not the other way round.
Why does my screen keep going to sleep?
This timer requests the browser Screen Wake Lock API when running, which prevents the display sleeping for the active tab. The wake lock is released automatically when the timer is paused, the tab is hidden, or the browser is closed — that is by design, the spec does not allow background lock. If the wake lock failed to activate (older browsers, or some Firefox versions), the chime and notification will still fire on time, but the screen may dim. You can also disable display sleep in your OS power settings.
Notifications are not showing — what is wrong?
Browsers require explicit permission before showing notifications. The first time you start the timer the page will prompt for it; if you denied it, open the site settings (padlock icon in the address bar) and re-enable notifications. The audio chime fires regardless of notification permission. On macOS, also check System Settings → Notifications and make sure your browser is allowed to show alerts. On Windows, check Focus Assist is not muting them. Mobile browsers (Safari, Firefox Android) have inconsistent notification support — keep the tab visible if in doubt.