Help
How Steadbrook works, in short answers.
What Steadbrook is
- What is Steadbrook?
- Steadbrook is a free focus timer that runs in your browser. It shows one peaceful scene, plays an ambient sound bed, and puts a timer in the middle. Everything else stays tucked into the edges and fades away when your mouse leaves the window.
- Is it free? Do I need an account?
- It is free, and there is nothing to sign up for. You land straight on the timer. Your choices are remembered in your own browser.
- Does it work on my phone?
- Yes. It works in any modern browser on desktop or mobile. You can also add it to your home screen from your browser's menu so it opens like an app.
The timer
- What timer modes are there?
- Four. Infinite counts up and never ends, and is the default, because for most people the hard part is starting. Countdown runs one stretch and stops. Intervals alternates a focus period and a break forever. Pomodoro runs 25 minutes of focus and 5 minutes of break, with a 15 minute break after every fourth round. Change mode with the stopwatch button next to Play.
- Can I set my own focus and break lengths?
- Yes. Countdown takes any length from 1 to 600 minutes. For intervals, open a timer page such as /pomo-timer-50-10, where the first number is focus minutes and the second is break minutes. Any focus from 5 to 120 and break from 1 to 90 works, and the Timers page lists the common rhythms with a note on who each suits.
- Does the timer keep running if I switch tabs?
- Yes. It follows the real clock, so a background tab stays accurate, and the tab title shows the time remaining. If you open the help or timer pages, a strip along the bottom keeps the running clock in view.
- What happens if I close the tab and come back?
- The session is saved in your browser. If you come back the same day, it picks up where it was, paused if it went unattended for a long time. On a new day the clock starts fresh, though your chosen mode is kept.
- What does Reset do?
- Reset appears next to Play once the timer has started. It clears the clock and the round count back to the start of the current mode.
- Can I choose the sound when a timer ends?
- Yes. In Settings, under Timer, choose a bell, chimes, a soft tone, or no sound at all.
- What is the "What's today's focus?" field?
- An optional one-line note that appears while the timer runs. Write what you are working on, tick it off when it is done, or close it. It is never required.
Sound and scenes
- What sounds are there?
- Four real recordings: a forest brook, ocean waves, rain, and a coffee shop. Each loops continuously for as long as you work. Choose one in Settings under Soundscapes, or choose Silence.
- Why does the sound start when I press Play?
- Pressing Play brings back the last sound you chose. Browsers only allow audio to start after you click or press a key, so it cannot start on its own when the page opens. If you chose Silence, Play stays quiet.
- How do mute and volume work?
- The speaker button next to Play mutes the sound and moves the volume slider to zero. Unmuting returns to the volume you had before. Choosing a sound while muted unmutes it.
- Can I change the background?
- Yes. Settings has six scenes: a forest brook, open ocean, rain on glass, two coffee shops, and a cabin in the woods. Scenes never change your sound, and the number keys 1 to 6 switch between them.
Shortcuts
- What keyboard shortcuts are there?
- Space starts and pauses the timer. M mutes and unmutes. S opens and closes Settings. The number keys 1 to 6 switch scenes. Shortcuts are ignored while you are typing in a field.
Other people and privacy
- What is "here now"?
- A small badge showing how many other people have Steadbrook open at the same moment, so you know you are not working alone. It counts browsers, not tabs, and only appears when at least two people are here. It never shows who anyone is.
- What does Steadbrook store about me?
- Your settings, current session and focus note are kept in your own browser's storage and never sent to us. The presence badge uses an anonymous random id to count you once across tabs. The site uses Google Analytics to count visits and shows Google ads to cover its costs.
Enough reading.
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