Tomato Timer
The classic 25/5 pomodoro cycle — over a scene that beats a kitchen timer.
From a kitchen tomato to your browser tab
The original tomato timer was literal: a tomato-shaped kitchen dial that Francesco Cirillo wound to 25 minutes while studying — pomodoro is simply Italian for tomato. The method it produced is beautifully simple: one focused sprint, one short break, repeat, and a longer rest every four rounds. This page runs that exact cycle for you, with an alarm at each turn and the remaining time in the tab title.
Everything the kitchen timer couldn't do
No winding, no ticking, no forgetting the break: phases advance automatically, and the countdown is anchored to a real end time so a background tab never drifts. Set it over a harvest field, a sakura path, or a plain black screen; go full screen for a distraction-free desk clock; or embed it in Notion so your study page has a tomato timer built in.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is it called a tomato timer?
- Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. Francesco Cirillo, who invented the technique as a university student in the late 1980s, timed his study sprints with a tomato-shaped kitchen timer — so the method became the Pomodoro Technique, and the tools became tomato timers.
- How does a tomato timer work?
- You work in fixed sprints — classically 25 minutes — then take a 5-minute break, and after four rounds a longer break. This timer runs the whole cycle automatically and rings when each phase ends; you only press Start.
- Can I change the 25/5 lengths?
- Yes. Open Customize to set any focus length from 1 to 180 minutes and any break from 1 to 90 — the long break scales with your break length automatically.
- Is this tomato timer free?
- Completely free, no signup and no download. You can also embed it in Notion, Google Sites, or a blog with the Copy embed code button.