Emphasis: Flow & Focus Timer

[Background info, feel free to skip: • I am a 15 year old girl • I use the timer for school homework, reading and taking notes on self improvement and psychology related books, learning a 2nd language, and sometimes singing • I have only really used the pomodoro timer so far It has already helped me to get a lot more work done, in fact, I’m using the timer right now. One thing I was hesitant at first about the pomodoro technique was the 5 minute breaks that occur after every 25 minute session. At first I thought they were disruptive to my flow, but I’ve come to realize they prevent overly long breaks and burnout. Think of it this way — lets say it’s been a few hours after lunch and a person starts to feel a tad hungry. They may hold off on eating, thinking they’re avoiding unnecessary calories, but then they end up overeating when they finally do allow themselves to because of the intense hunger. Meanwhile they could have simply had a moderate meal earlier and be just as full. I highly suggest this technique to anyone, and this timer is perfect for it. I also appreciate its simple but still pleasant layout, the choice of different colors, and how all of the sessions and breaks (long & short) are customizable in both duration and amount.

I’ve used several apps that apply the pomodoro technique, each with great success. But I’ve found this app to boost my productivity like never before. The boost in productivity has unexpectedly come from the timer being a graphic representation as opposed to the numerical representation common among most productivity apps. I noticed with the graphic timer I look at the timer a lot less and focus more on the work I’m doing. This could be because rather than thinking “Oh I have 5:32 left on the clock” (which I do often with numerical countdown timers) I see an estimate visually represented by a pie graphic and I think “There is still time left, so just keep working.” This “so just keep working” default that has come from not knowing the amount of time left down to the last second has helped me “just keep working” which was my objective in using the app. Couple this graphic timer with the simple progress tracker and minimalist user interface, this app has given me tremendous value in regard to productivity, especially as I continue working on my dissertation.