Free · No sign-up · Works in the background
Break Timer
Choose how long you work and how long you rest. It chimes, sends a notification, and keeps the cycle going until you stop it.
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
- Pick a rhythm. 20-20-20 for your eyes, Pomodoro for focus, or set your own work and break lengths.
- Press Start and get to work. Leave this tab open. It keeps time in the background and remembers where it was if you reload.
- When it chimes, take the break. It suggests something to do, counts down your rest, then starts the next round.
Which break rhythm should I use?
| Rhythm | Work / break | Good for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-20-20 | 20 min / 20 sec | Your eyes. Tiny breaks, often. Look 20 feet away. More about the rule. | |
| Pomodoro | 25 min / 5 min | Getting started on things you've been putting off. Francesco Cirillo came up with it in the late 1980s. After four rounds, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. | |
| 50/10 | 50 min / 10 min | An hour-shaped rhythm that's easy to line up with meetings. | |
| 52/17 | 52 min / 17 min | Long stretches of focused work. It comes from a 2014 DeskTime analysis of how its most productive users worked. | |
| 90/20 | 90 min / 20 min | Deep work like writing or coding, where it takes a while to get going. |
Not sure? Start with Pomodoro. If your eyes get tired, keep the 20-20-20 timer running in another tab.
What to do on a break
20 seconds to a minute
Look at something far away and blink slowly. Drop your shoulders. Unclench your jaw.
5 to 10 minutes
Stand up and walk somewhere: a window, the kitchen, the end of the hallway. Refill your water. Stretch your arms over your head.
15 minutes or more
Get away from screens completely. Walk outside, eat something, talk to someone. Scrolling your phone feels like a break, but your eyes and attention don't get much rest from it.
Do short breaks actually help?
Yes, modestly. A 2022 review of micro-break studies (breaks of 10 minutes or less) found that people who took them felt more energetic and less tired. The effect on performance was smaller and showed up mostly on routine tasks. For draining, demanding work, longer breaks helped more.
For eyes in particular, a 2023 study found that regular 20-20-20 reminders reduced eye strain and dry-eye symptoms, and that the benefit was gone a week after the reminders stopped. Breaks help while you keep taking them.
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
macOS 14 or later · then $14.99 once, no subscription · See how it works
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.
Can I set my own times?
Yes. Choose Custom, then enter any work length in minutes and any break length in minutes or seconds.
How long should a break be?
For your eyes, 20 seconds of looking far away every 20 minutes. For focus and energy, 5 to 10 minutes every 25 to 60 minutes is common. Harder work needs longer breaks.
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.