How to use the pomodoro timer
- 1
Press Start
The timer begins with a focus round of 25 minutes. Pause stops the clock, and Resume carries on from the time that is left. - 2
Take the break it offers
When a focus round runs out, the timer counts it and moves to a 5-minute break. Press Start to begin the break, or tick the box to start each phase automatically. - 3
Take a long break after four rounds
After every fourth finished round you get a 15-minute break, and then the rounds start again. - 4
Skip or reset when plans change
Skip moves to the next phase without counting the one you left. Reset goes back to the first focus round and clears your count.
How the pomodoro method works
The pomodoro method, often called the pomodoro technique, splits work into fixed rounds with planned breaks. You choose one task, work on it until the round ends, and stop for a short break before the next one. After a few rounds you take a longer break.
A fixed end point can make a hard reading or a thesis chapter easier to start, and the breaks give you a set time to step away. Twenty-five minutes is only the usual length, so try a few and keep what works for you.
Times, sound and automatic start
You can set each phase to anything from 1 to 180 minutes, and choose a long break after 1 to 12 rounds. Change the times when the clock is stopped at the start of a phase. They are locked while a phase is running or paused.
- The short sound is off until you tick its box, and some browsers and devices block it.
- The automatic start begins each new phase as soon as the last one ends.
- The time left appears in the browser tab while the clock runs, so you can see it from another tab.
Limits
The clock works from the time that has really passed, so a slow background tab catches up instead of running late. The alert itself can still come late if the browser limits a background tab or the device goes to sleep. Do not rely on this timer for exams, medication or anything else where the time must be right.
The page has to stay open. Closing or reloading it clears the clock and your finished rounds, because nothing is saved. If you have a recorded lecture or interview to work through, Spirelight’s interview transcription turns a recording you upload into a text draft that you review against the audio.