Focus settings
How to choose a focus length
Start with the shortest interval that lets you make meaningful progress, then adjust from evidence rather than forcing yourself through an arbitrary number.
Use the task as your starting point
A 25-minute interval is useful when starting feels difficult, interruptions are likely, or the task has a clear small unit. A 45-minute interval gives reading, drafting, and routine development work more continuity. A 50-minute interval can suit experienced users doing deep work, provided the following break is genuinely restorative.
| Focus | Good starting use | Suggested break |
|---|---|---|
| 25 min | Getting started, review, administrative work | 5 min |
| 45 min | Writing, reading, routine coding | 10 min |
| 50 min | Deep work with few interruptions | 10 min |
A three-session test
- Choose one task and set the timer to 25 minutes.
- After each session, note whether you stopped too early, at a natural boundary, or after attention had already faded.
- If two sessions ended while concentration was still strong, add 5–10 minutes next time. If attention repeatedly faded, shorten the interval.
Change one variable at a time
Keep the task type and environment similar while testing a new length. Otherwise, you cannot tell whether the interval or the context caused the difference. In this timer, pause first, open Settings, and update Focus duration. Keep the new value for at least three comparable sessions.
When a shorter session is the better choice
Use 10–15 minutes when you are tired, anxious about starting, or working with frequent unavoidable interruptions. Completing a deliberately small block is more useful than abandoning a longer target. Return to the default only when the shorter rhythm feels easy.