Timer

When to use this

The pasta needs exactly 8 minutes. Your presentation slot is 15 minutes and you need to know when to wrap up. You're doing interval training and need 45-second work periods with 15-second rest. A countdown timer is one of the simplest tools that exists — and one of the most universally useful.

This timer lives in your browser tab, which means it works alongside whatever else you're doing. The tab title updates with the remaining time, so you can glance at your taskbar without switching windows. When time's up, you'll hear it — even if the tab is buried behind twelve others.

Good to know

The tab title is your status bar. While the timer runs, your browser tab shows "05:23 — Timer" (or whatever's remaining). This means you never need to switch back to check — just glance at your taskbar or tab bar.

It works in background tabs. Modern browsers throttle JavaScript in inactive tabs, but this timer compensates by calculating elapsed time from timestamps rather than relying on setInterval accuracy. The display might update less frequently in the background, but the alarm fires on time.

Quick presets eliminate typing. The most common timer durations (1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 25, 30 minutes, 1 hour) are one click away. You'll use these 90% of the time. Custom hours/minutes/seconds input is there for everything else.

25 minutes is the Pomodoro default. If you're timing a focus session, the dedicated Pomodoro timer handles work/break cycling automatically. Use this plain timer when you just need a one-off countdown without the structure.

Quick Reference

Activity	Typical Duration	Notes
Soft-boiled egg	6–7 min	From boiling water
Pasta (al dente)	8–10 min	Check package instructions
Power nap	20 min	Longer risks grogginess
Pomodoro session	25 min	Standard focus block
Presentation practice	5–15 min	Match your time slot
HIIT interval	30–45 sec	Work period
Meditation	10–20 min	Start short, build up