The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It breaks work into intervals (traditionally 25 minutes) called "Pomodoros," separated by short breaks (5 minutes). After completing 4 Pomodoros, a longer break (15-30 minutes) is taken. The technique improves focus by creating a sense of urgency within each bounded interval and preventing burnout through mandatory recovery periods.

Scroll down to the Settings section below the timer display. You can change Work (minutes), Short Break (minutes), Long Break (minutes), and Long Break Every (number of sessions) using the number inputs. Changes to work duration take effect immediately if the timer is not running and the current phase is Work. Changes to break durations take effect when the corresponding break phase starts next.

When the work timer reaches 00:00, the completed session count increments by 1. If the new session count is a multiple of the "Long Break Every" setting (default: 4), the timer automatically transitions to a Long Break. Otherwise, it transitions to a Short Break. The phase indicator color changes from red (Work) to green (Break) to visually signal the transition.

Yes. Clicking the Skip button immediately advances to the next phase without waiting for the timer to expire. If you skip a Work phase, the session counter increments (same as if the timer had expired). If you skip a Break phase, the timer returns to Work mode with the configured work duration.

Yes. The timer uses JavaScript's setInterval which continues running in the background even when the tab is not in focus. However, if your browser aggressively throttles background tabs (some mobile browsers do this), there may be slight inaccuracies. Keeping the tab active during important sessions ensures the most accurate timing.

The traditional Pomodoro is 25 minutes, which research suggests is an optimal duration for maintaining focus without significant cognitive fatigue for most people. However, optimal session length varies by individual and task type: complex creative work may benefit from longer sessions (45-90 minutes), while rote memorization or review tasks may work well with 15-20 minute intervals. Experiment with the timer settings to find what works best for you.

The "Long Break Every" setting determines how many completed work sessions trigger a long break instead of a short break. With the default setting of 4, the pattern is: Work → Short Break → Work → Short Break → Work → Short Break → Work → Long Break → (repeats). Changing this to 3 would trigger a long break after every 3rd work session instead.

No. The timer runs entirely in browser memory (React state) and does not persist data between page loads. Reloading the page will reset the session counter and timer to their initial states. To preserve your session count, keep the browser tab open throughout your study session.