Free · No sign-up · Works in the background
52/17 Timer
Work for 52 minutes, then take a 17-minute break. The 52/17 rule comes from time-tracking data on productive people, and this timer runs it for you in a background tab.
Space starts and pauses. Esc skips a break. Want breaks without keeping a tab open? Peeka does this on your Mac.
How to use this timer
- Press Start and work for 52 minutes. Leave this tab open. It keeps time in the background.
- When it chimes, leave your desk for 17 minutes. Long enough for a walk, a snack or a real conversation.
- The next 52 minutes start on their own. Press Esc to skip a break, or Space to pause.
The 52/17 rule at a glance
| Work | 52 minutes |
|---|---|
| Break | 17 minutes |
| Where it comes from | DeskTime, a time-tracking app, in 2014 (their write-up) |
| Later data | A 2021 rerun found 112 minutes on and 26 off. February 2020 data showed 80 on and 17 off. |
| Evidence | Averages from one app's most productive users. A description of what they did, not an experiment |
| Good for | Long focused work, with a break long enough to properly leave the desk |
| Less good for | Days full of meetings on the hour. 50/10 lines up better (set it in the break timer). |
Where the 52/17 rule comes from
In 2014 the team behind DeskTime looked at how its users spent their computer time. They took the 10% whose time went most often to apps and sites marked as productive for their job, and found that, on average, they worked for 52 minutes and then took a 17-minute break.
They reran the analysis in 2021 and the best ratio had moved to 112 minutes of work and a 26-minute break. Data from February 2020 showed 80 and 17. DeskTime puts the change down to remote work. The "112 / 26" button above runs the newer numbers.
Does the 52/17 rule work?
The numbers describe what productive people happened to do, measured by one app. They don't show that working in 52-minute blocks makes anyone more productive. An average of many uneven work stretches can also land on 52 even if few people actually work for exactly 52 minutes.
What holds up is the shape: a long stretch of focus, then a break long enough to really switch off. A 2022 review of break studies found that short breaks lift energy, but for draining, demanding work, longer breaks helped performance more. 17 minutes is a long break by most standards.
If 52 minutes feels too long, the 25 minute timer is the same idea in smaller pieces.
What to do with 17 minutes
- Start with your eyes. 20 seconds looking at the farthest thing you can see.
- Get outside if you can. A walk around the block fits in 17 minutes.
- Eat something, or make tea away from your desk.
- Talk to someone. In person or on the phone, not in a chat window.
- Skip the scroll. 17 minutes on your phone keeps your eyes at reading distance the whole time.
Compare the rhythms
| Rhythm | Work / break | Good for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-20-20 | 20 min / 20 sec | Your eyes. Tiny breaks, often. | Open |
| Pomodoro | 25 min / 5 min, long break after four | Getting started, studying, work you've been avoiding. | Open |
| 50/10 | 50 min / 10 min | Lining work up with the hour and your meetings. | Open |
| 52/17 | 52 min / 17 min | Long focus with a break long enough to leave the desk. | This page |
| 90/20 | 90 min / 20 min | Deep work with a slow warm-up: writing, coding, design. | Open |
| Flowmodoro | As long as focus lasts / a fifth of that | Work where being cut off mid-flow costs you. | Open |
| Animedoro | 40 to 60 min / one 20-minute episode | Studying, with a show as the reward. | Open |
Want your own lengths? The break timer takes any work and break time.
Peeka for Mac
A browser tab can't tell when you're busy. Peeka can.
Peeka is a tiny ghost that lives on your Mac's desktop and does this timer's job without a tab to keep open. It gets sleepier as your break gets closer, so the break never takes you by surprise.
- Waits until you stop typing, so it never cuts you off mid-sentence
- Hides during calls, presentations and screen shares
- Dims your screen for 20 seconds and gives you something to look at
- Naps when you step away, and starts fresh when you're back
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FAQ
Questions, answered.
Does the timer keep running if I switch tabs?
Yes. It keeps time against the clock, so it stays accurate in a background tab, and it remembers where it was if you reload. If your browser puts unused tabs to sleep to save memory, pin this tab.
How will I know it's break time?
You'll hear a soft chime, and you'll get a desktop notification if you allow them. If the tab is in front, a dim blanket slides over the page and counts the break for you.
Why 52 and 17?
They're the average work and break lengths of DeskTime's most productive users in 2014. Nobody designed them. They're simply what those people did.
Is 52/17 better than Pomodoro?
There's no study comparing them head to head. Pomodoro's short blocks suit getting started and studying; 52/17 suits longer focused work. Try each for a few days and keep the one you actually stick to.
What did the 2021 update find?
DeskTime reran its analysis in 2021 and found the most productive users worked for 112 minutes, then took 26-minute breaks, on average. It credits the switch to remote work.
Does it work on my phone?
It runs in any modern browser, but phones lock their screens and pause web pages, so it works best on a laptop or desktop.
Is it really free?
Yes. No sign-up and no ads. It's made by Sameed, who also makes Peeka, a Mac app that does the same job without a browser tab.