30/5 Pomodoro Timer
Thirty minutes of focus and a five-minute break: the classic pomodoro with a little more runway.
30 min focus, 5 min break: a cycle is 35 min, 86% of it focus
| Time set aside | Full rounds | Focus time |
|---|---|---|
| 2 h | 3 | 1 h 30 min |
| 4 h | 7 | 3 h 30 min |
| 8 h | 13 | 6 h 30 min |
Who it suits
Reading, coding and writing sessions where the first few minutes go on getting your bearings. The five extra minutes over 25/5 mean more of each round is spent actually inside the work.
The trade-off
Five minutes is still a short break, so it is only comfortable when the work is not draining. If you catch yourself skipping the break to keep going, 30/10 gives your eyes and head more room. Two rounds take just over an hour, which is handy for planning around meetings.
Making it work
- Use the break for something physical: water, stretching, a window. Checking your phone does not rest the part of your mind you just used.
- Two rounds fit just over an hour, so you can slot them between calls.
- Keep a scrap list of 'later' items during the round so stray thoughts do not pull you out of it.
Questions
- Is 30/5 better than 25/5?
- Different, not better. You get longer uninterrupted stretches at the price of a slightly harder round. Try both for a few days and keep the one where you finish more rounds.
- How many rounds before a long break?
- Four is the traditional number, which here means two hours of focus. A longer break of 20 to 30 minutes then makes sense.