What a 25-minute block is good for
Twenty-five minutes is the length of one round in the Pomodoro Technique: long enough to make real progress, short enough that starting feels easy. This page sets a single 25-minute countdown; the Pomodoro timer adds the breaks and rounds.
- One focused round on a single task.
- A study session followed by a five-minute review.
- A timeboxed attempt at a problem you’ve been avoiding.
- A daily writing habit.
Making a 25-minute session work
The value of a 25-minute session comes from protecting it. Silence notifications, close unrelated tabs and keep a scrap of paper next to you for anything that pops into your head. When the chime sounds, stop and take a short break, even if you are mid-flow: ending on a high note makes it easier to start the next round. Over a day, counting how many 25-minute sessions a task took is a surprisingly honest measure of your work.
How to use it
- Press Start. The 25-minute countdown runs in the ring, and a soft chime marks the end.
- Add sound from the Mix or Sounds tab. A steady background such as rain or brown noise makes it easier to stay in the session.
- Open focus mode (the expand button, or press V) for a large, distraction-free countdown that keeps the screen awake.
- Change any length in the timer settings; the next session uses it.
Sound to pair with it
The Deep work preset, brown noise with a slow alpha tone, was made for exactly this. Keep the same mix for every round in a day so the sound becomes part of the ritual of starting, and switch it off during breaks so the contrast tells you it is time to rest.
Questions
- What is the difference between this and the Pomodoro timer?
- Nothing in length. The Pomodoro page also sets 5-minute breaks and a long break after four rounds.
- Will the timer keep time if I switch tabs or lock my phone?
- Yes. The timer counts against the real clock rather than ticking in the background, so it stays accurate when the tab is hidden or the screen is off. Turn on notifications in the timer settings to be told when a session ends.
- Does the timer work offline?
- Yes. Once Focuship has loaded, or is installed to your home screen, the timer, the chime and the generated noises all work without a connection.