Free · No sign-up · Works in the background
Flowmodoro Timer
Work for as long as your focus lasts, then take a break one fifth as long. Press Start, and press Take my break when you're done. The timer works out the break for you.
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. The clock counts up instead of down. Leave this tab open.
- When your focus slips, press Take my break. Or when you finish the task. 50 minutes of work earns a 10-minute break; 25 minutes earns 5.
- After the break, it counts up again. Press Esc to end a break early.
Flowmodoro at a glance
| Work | As long as your focus lasts |
|---|---|
| Break | One fifth of the time you worked: 25 minutes earns 5, 50 earns 10, 90 earns 18 |
| Based on | The Flowtime Technique by Zoë Read-Bivens (Zapier's write-up) |
| Evidence | Not tested directly. Research on self-chosen breaks shows a real trade-off (below) |
| Good for | Work where being cut off mid-flow costs a lot: writing, coding, design |
| Less good for | Anyone who forgets to stop. A fixed timer like Pomodoro protects you from yourself. |
Where Flowmodoro comes from
Zoë Read-Bivens created the Flowtime Technique after finding that the Pomodoro timer interrupted her right when she was getting into her work. In Flowtime you work until you naturally need a break, and you keep a simple log of when you started, when you stopped and what interrupted you, so you can learn your own rhythm.
Flowmodoro is a simpler version that fixes the break at one fifth of the work time. It spread through productivity apps and videos rather than from one author, and it's what this timer does.
Does it work?
Nobody has tested Flowmodoro directly, and the closest evidence cuts both ways. In a 2023 study, students who chose their own breaks studied in longer stretches than students on fixed Pomodoro-style breaks. They also reported more fatigue and distraction and less motivation, and got about the same amount done.
So the risk with Flowmodoro is that it's easy to keep going past the point where a break would have helped. If you try it, notice when you're pushing on out of momentum rather than focus, and stop there. And look into the distance every 20 minutes even during a long session; your eyes don't get into flow.
What to do with the break you earned
5 minutes or less
Look at something far away, blink slowly, stand up and stretch.
10 to 15 minutes
Walk somewhere, refill your water, step outside if you can.
15 minutes or more
Leave screens completely. Eat something, talk to someone, go for a proper walk.
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. | Open |
| 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. | This page |
| 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.
What if I work for three hours straight?
The timer gives you a 36-minute break, and you'll probably need it. Better not to let it get that far: your eyes need a short look into the distance every 20 minutes, flow or not.
Why a fifth?
It's the ratio most Flowmodoro apps use, and it keeps breaks in proportion: about the same as Pomodoro's 25/5 and 50/10. Flowtime itself has no fixed ratio; you decide each break as you go.
Is Flowmodoro the same as Flowtime?
Close. Flowtime, by Zoë Read-Bivens, lets you choose each break and keep a log. Flowmodoro is the simpler version with a fixed break of one fifth of your work time.
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.