Free tool
Free Pomodoro timer for ADHD: start small and see the time go
Pick a focus block as short as 10 minutes, write the one thing you'll do, and press Start. The disc shrinks as the time runs out, a soft chime starts your break, and the next block waits until you're ready. It's free, there's no sign-up, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
Start a focus block
Choose the lengths, write the one thing you'll do, and press Start. Keep this tab open while the timer runs.
This timer needs JavaScript, which is turned off in your browser. A kitchen timer or your phone's timer works the same way: set it for 25 minutes, or 10 if 25 feels like too much, then take a 5-minute break.
Timer
Focus
25:00
Blocks finished: 0
How to use a Pomodoro timer when starting is the hard part
Four small decisions before you press Start, then the timer does the rest.
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Write down the one thing
Name the task in a few words and keep it small enough to begin now: "Answer the landlord's email", not "Sort out the flat". It shows above the timer, so when your mind wanders, the next thing to do is right there on screen.
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Pick a block you'll start
A short block you begin does more than a long one you put off. In a study of 87 students at a Dutch university, those who took fixed breaks (6 minutes after every 24, or 3 after every 12) reported less fatigue and distraction, and more concentration and motivation, than those who took breaks when they chose. They also got as much done in less time.
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Decide when you'll press Start
"After lunch, at the kitchen table, I'll do one block on the email." A review of 94 tests by Peter Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran found that plans spelling out when, where and how you'll act had a medium-to-large effect on reaching goals.
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Step away from the task for the break
In a University of Illinois lab study, people doing a long, dull watching task got steadily worse at it, unless they briefly switched to a second task now and then. So spend the break on something else, and pick one that ends easily: stand up, refill your water, look out of a window.
How long a Pomodoro block should be
As long as you'll start, and no longer. The usual Pomodoro is 25 minutes of focus and a 5-minute break, which is the default here and in LeapSteps. In the study of 87 students, the Pomodoro group worked in 24-minute blocks with 6-minute breaks, and a second group on 12-minute blocks with 3-minute breaks also came out ahead of the students who chose their own breaks.
A rule of thumb we use: if starting is the hard part, begin with 10 minutes, and add 5 once a few blocks in a row feel easy. If the chime keeps cutting into work that's going well, try 45 minutes with a 10-minute break.
The disc is there so you can see how much of the block is left at a glance, without reading the numbers. The blocks you finish are counted under the timer for as long as the tab stays open.
When a block goes wrong
Some blocks won't go to plan. Here's what to do next.
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You stopped after three minutes.
Press Reset, pick 10 minutes and start again on a smaller piece of the task. Go easy on yourself: in a Carleton University study, students who forgave themselves for putting off studying for one exam procrastinated less before the next.
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The chime went and you kept going.
Finish the sentence you're on, then take the break anyway, so the next block starts fresh. If it happens most blocks, choose a longer block next time.
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The break turned into an hour.
The next block waits for you, so press Start when you're back, with nothing to catch up on. Next time, pick a break that ends by itself, like a glass of water or a walk to the window.
Sources checked October 26, 2026.
Questions, answered
Does a Pomodoro timer work for ADHD?
It helps some people and not others, and there's little research on Pomodoro timers and ADHD in particular, so we can't promise it will work for you. A study of students in general backs the idea behind it: those on fixed breaks reported less fatigue and distraction than those who chose their own breaks, and got as much done in less time. Try it for a week with a block short enough to start, and keep what helps. This timer isn't a treatment. If ADHD makes work, study or daily life hard, a doctor or psychologist can help you find what works for you.
How long should a Pomodoro be?
The usual Pomodoro is 25 minutes of focus and a 5-minute break, but the right length is one you'll start. If 25 minutes feels like too much, start with 10 and add 5 once a few blocks in a row feel easy. In a study of 87 university students, both 24-minute blocks with 6-minute breaks and 12-minute blocks with 3-minute breaks left students less tired and distracted than taking breaks whenever they chose. For a longer rest after a few blocks, pick the 10-minute break before the next one.
Is the timer free, and does it save what I type?
It's free, and it saves nothing. There's no account or sign-up. What you type stays on this page in your browser: it isn't sent to us or to anyone else, and no AI reads it. Our visit counter hears only that a focus block started, never what it was for or how long it was. Close or reload the tab and the timer starts over, so keep the tab open while you work.
Will the timer chime if I switch tabs or lock my phone?
On a computer, it should. The chime is timed by your browser's sound system, so it plays on time with the tab in the background, as long as the tab stays open and your sound is on. Phones are different. A phone's browser often pauses a page when the screen locks or you switch apps, so the chime may not play until you come back. The time on the timer is right when you return, and if the block or the break ended while you were away, it moves on to where it would be. On a phone, keep the screen on while the timer runs.
Can I use a Pomodoro timer in LeapSteps?
Yes, in Do. LeapSteps is our app, a to-do list where any task can link to a goal's next step. Do has a plain Pomo timer, a Focus mode that pins one task to the timer, and Multitask for a short list of pinned tasks. A block runs 25 minutes by default, the break starts by itself, and the next block starts after the break until you stop. You can set blocks from 15 to 120 minutes and breaks from 1 to 60, so its shortest block is longer than this page's 10 minutes. LeapSteps is free to start, and Pro comes with a 7-day free trial. This timer stays free either way.
Keep the timer next to your to-do list
LeapSteps has the same kind of timer in Do, with your to-do list beside it, so the next task is ready when the break ends. LeapSteps is out now on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows.
Get LeapSteps
Free to start. Pro comes with a 7-day free trial.
Keep going
- For ADHD brains A planner for when starting is the hard part Turn a big, foggy goal into one small next step on your to-do list.
- Guide How to stop procrastinating Six moves to start the task you keep putting off, and what to do after a slip.
- Free tool To-do list template Today's top three, the rest if there's time, and the goal each task moves.
- Goal guide How to achieve your goals Start with today's tasks and link each one to a bigger goal.