Timer presets

Why the presets are split up

The classic 25 and 5 is a starting point, not a rule. A maths problem that takes ten minutes just to get into does not deserve the same session length as a vocabulary drill that works best in short bursts. So instead of one timer with a settings panel, each kind of work gets its own page with the numbers already in place.

Every preset page opens with the timer set to that split. And if you change the numbers on a preset page, the change is saved for that page alone — it never overwrites the 25-minute setup on the home page or any other preset. That means you can bookmark two or three presets and move between them without ever touching the settings panel again.

How to choose

If you are not sure where to start, use one rule: the longer it takes you to get back into the work after an interruption, the longer your focus block should be. Reading unfamiliar code or writing long-form prose often costs ten minutes or more just to re-enter. Work you can drop and resume at will — drilling problems, reviewing flashcards — holds up better in short blocks.

• On a day when starting is the hard part, drop the focus length on the home timer to 15 or 20 minutes and lower the barrier.
• Preparing for a timed exam? Match practice sessions to the real paper length instead of the default 25.
• If short breaks never feel like enough recovery, try a split with a longer break such as 45/15.
• Any preset can be adjusted under timer settings, and the change stays on that page.

Why there are only a few presets

You can generate an endless list of splits just by changing numbers, so this list only keeps the ones with a reason we can explain. 50/10 is for work that is expensive to resume, 45/15 for days that have to last, 90/20 for deep work with a long setup, and the CSAT preset follows the real exam's section lengths. For 52/17 the page says plainly that the evidence behind it is thin.

Other numbers do not get their own page. A dedicated "65 minutes for accounting" or "75 minutes for thesis writing" page would only make an arbitrary number look authoritative; it would not give you anything that typing the number into the home timer does not.

When you need a split that is not listed

Open the timer settings on the home page and enter your own focus, short break and long break lengths, plus how often the long break comes round. The values are saved in your browser and are still there next time. A few common starting points:

Hard-to-start days: 15 to 30 minutes

Short sessions are the classic tool against procrastination. Committing to fifteen minutes of something you have been avoiding lowers the resistance sharply, and once you start it usually turns out lighter than it looked. If it catches, keep running sessions; when you settle in properly, move up to 25 or more.

Work where a break costs you the thread: 60 to 75 minutes

Multi-step calculations, first drafts of long documents and thesis work all carry a high price for being interrupted, and can justify blocks longer than 50 minutes. But a longer block without a defined end point just gets thinner. Start at 50, check that the back half holds up, then extend.

Matching a real exam

Professional, language and licensing exams all set their own section lengths. Look up the official timings for the exam you are sitting and use them for timed practice only. Everyday concept study does not need to run at exam length.