Break Timer — Take Breaks That Actually End

A free online break timer, preset to a 5 minute countdown. Breaks have a failure mode in both directions: skipped entirely, or quietly turning into forty minutes of scrolling. A timed break fixes both — you genuinely stop, and the chime brings you back.

What a good break looks like

The point of a break is recovery, and recovery means doing something different. If you've been staring at a screen, the break is not for another screen. The reliable classics: stand up and stretch, get water, look out of a window at something far away (your eye muscles will thank you — distance focus relaxes the strain of close work), step outside, or just breathe for a minute. Movement and distance, not content.

How long should a break be?

• 5 minutes after a normal focus session of 20–30 minutes — this page's default.
• 10–15 minutes after a long session like a 45 or 60 minute block — use +5 to extend.
• 20–30 minutes after a 90 minute deep work block, or every fourth Pomodoro.

Frequently asked questions

Why time a break at all?

Because untimed breaks don't end — one video becomes five, and re-starting work gets harder the longer the drift lasts. A chime removes the decision: the break is over because the timer says so, not because you mustered the willpower.

What should I avoid during breaks?

Anything with a feed. Social media, news and video are designed to extend themselves, which is exactly the wrong property for a 5 minute pause. Save them for the long break — timed, of course.