If you’ve ever struggled to stay focused and productive then there’s a good chance you’ll have heard about the ‘Pomodoro Technique’ at some point.
Pomodoro is a time management technique that is deliciously simple to learn: you segment the time you spend working into 25 minute spurts, each separated by a short breaks of around 5 minutes or so.
After four bouts, i.e., 100 minutes of work, you then take a longer break of 15 or 20 minutes.
You can find a great cheat sheet with more information on Scribd.
The method has won an army of devotees around the world who attest to its success in helping to keep the mind fresh and focused. With timing being key to the experience, timer applications come in handy.
Pomodoro App For Chrome
TimeDoser is a simple timer application for Chrome and Chrome OS built around a similar concept.
The app runs on the desktop where it sits flush with the left-hand side of the screen. It can be repositioned and made to float above your other windows.
Clicking on the ‘!’ icon begins a 25 minute countdown (time increments can be toggled in the settings view) and turn the box red.
Clicking on the timer countdown will ‘pause’ it, while a cancel option, a square box, is tucked inside the options drawer/expand handle.
When the countdown reaches zero the app delivers a small desktop notification and plays a short alert trill. It’s a good job neither of these are easily missed as it slips straight into the allotted segue of distraction.
Breaks can be skipped and stacked up by clicking on the arrow icon in the expandable drawer (click the ‘>’ icon on the right-hand side of the app to open it) during a ‘green’ break session.
TimeDoser Features
- 25, 30, 35 and 40 minute time increments
- 5, 10 and 15 minute break periods
- Can be ‘pinned’ above other windows
- ‘Sticks’ to left-hand side of screen
- Chrome notifications and alert sound
If there are drawbacks to be found in such a fantastically simple app it is only that the window can’t be positioned freely on the screen, and that there’s no way to view some basic stats on the number of completed sessions, accumulated breaks, etc.
Install TimeDoser in Chrome
TimeDoser is a free app for Google Chrome and Chrome OS and requires no special permissions to run.