Focus timer for deep work
Longer blocks for work that needs your full attention. Choose 50/10 or a 90-minute block, start brown noise and go fullscreen.
Timer
How to run a deep work block
- Choose 50/10 or 90/20 with the preset buttons. You can fine-tune both lengths in Timer settings.
- Write down the outcome you want from the block as a task: “Draft the method section” or “Fix the login bug”.
- Remove the exits. Close chat and email tabs, silence your phone, and press F for fullscreen.
- Start brown noise with the “Deep focus brown noise” preset if silence isn’t quiet enough where you are.
- Stop at the chime, even if you feel like pushing on. Note where you stopped so the next block starts fast.
50/10, 90/20 or 25/5?
| Block | Breaks | Works well when |
|---|---|---|
| 50/10 | 10 min, long break 30 min | You need 10 to 15 minutes to get going, as with writing or code |
| 90/20 | 20 min, long break 30 min | You have one or two big tasks and a quiet morning |
| 25/5 | 5 min, long break 15 min | You are tired, the task is dull, or you keep putting it off |
Longer blocks have a cost: if you are interrupted 60 minutes in, you lose more. Many people use 90-minute blocks in the morning and switch to 25/5 in the afternoon. The often-quoted link between 90 minutes and a natural “ultradian” rhythm is weak: Kleitman’s rest-activity cycle comes from sleep research, and a 1995 study found no 90-minute rhythm in daytime performance.
Plan the day around two or three blocks
Deep work is hard to do all day. A realistic plan is two or three long blocks with shallow work (email, meetings, admin) in between. Put the first block at the time of day you think most clearly, and protect it like a meeting.
| Time | Block |
|---|---|
| 9:00 to 10:30 | Deep work block 1 (90 min) |
| 10:30 to 10:50 | Break, then messages |
| 11:30 to 12:20 | Deep work block 2 (50 min) |
| Afternoon | Meetings and admin; one more 50/10 block if energy allows |
If someone interrupts you, the Pomodoro Technique’s advice works for long blocks too: tell them you are in the middle of something, agree a time, and get back to them as promised. More on that in what the Pomodoro Technique is. For a single fixed block, use the 90 minute timer or 60 minute timer; for shorter sessions, the Pomodoro timer.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good deep work session length?
Many people settle on 50 to 90 minutes for demanding work like writing or programming, because it takes a while to load the problem into your head. Start with 50/10, and only move to 90 minutes if you regularly reach the end still in flow.
Is the 90-minute focus block backed by science?
Only loosely. The idea is often linked to the roughly 90-minute rest-activity cycle that sleep researcher Nathaniel Kleitman proposed, but a 1995 study that tested people’s performance through the day found no 90-minute rhythm. Treat 90 minutes as a practical block size, not a biological rule.
How do I use the 50/10 preset?
Press the 50/10 button under the timer. It sets 50-minute focus sessions, 10-minute breaks and a 30-minute long break after four sessions. Your choice is saved for your next visit.
What is the 52/17 rule?
It comes from a 2014 analysis by the time-tracking company DeskTime: the 10% of its users with the most “productive” computer time worked, on average, for 52 minutes and then took a 17-minute break. It is usage data from one app, not a controlled study, and DeskTime’s own 2021 repeat found 112 minutes of work and 26 of break. Treat it as one more option to try.
Does fullscreen mode hide everything?
Fullscreen shows only the clock, the current mode, your current task and the controls. Press F or the Fullscreen button, and Escape or “Exit fullscreen” to leave. Where supported, it also keeps your screen from going to sleep.
Which sound is best for deep work?
There is no proven best. Brown noise is popular because it is steady and low; some people prefer pink noise or rain, and some prefer silence. Pick one that you stop noticing after a few minutes.
What happens when I skip a session?
Skip ends the current interval straight away and moves to the next one. A skipped focus session is counted as skipped in your stats, not as completed, and doesn’t add a session to your current task.
What is the difference between Pomodoro and time blocking?
Time blocking assigns tasks to slots in your calendar (for example 9 to 11 for the report). Pomodoro is about how you work inside a slot: short focused intervals with breaks. They combine well: block two hours for the report, then work through it in Pomodoros.
Sources
- Kleitman (1982), Basic rest-activity cycle—22 years later, Sleep 5(4), 311–317: doi.org/10.1093/sleep/5.4.311
- Neubauer & Freudenthaler (1995), Ultradian rhythms in cognitive performance: no evidence for a 1.5-h rhythm, Biological Psychology 40(3), 281–298: doi.org/10.1016/0301-0511(95)05121-p
- DeskTime blog (2024), Does the 52-17 rule really hold up?: desktime.com/blog/52-17-updated/
- Francesco Cirillo, “The Pomodoro Technique” (paper, v1.3, 2007), copy hosted by the FAA Safety Team: www.faasafety.gov/files/events/SO/SO15/2024/SO15134204/Cirillo_--_Pomodoro_Technique.pdf
Updated · Written by the FocusLoop team