What the Pomodoro technique is
The Pomodoro technique was invented by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s to help himself study. The name comes from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used. The idea is brutally simple: you work with total focus for 25 minutes, rest 5, and repeat. After every four cycles you take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.
Those 25 minutes are the atomic unit of work. One pomodoro. Inside it, no email, no phone face up, no “I’ll just check one quick thing”. And when the timer rings, you really rest. You stand up, look out of the window, walk. You don’t open another tab.
The timer on this page implements the classic 25/5 cycle with four pomodoros. Hit start and forget about the clock.
Why we added isochronic tones
The Pomodoro technique works on its own, but concentration has a neurological component that can be gently nudged from outside: brainwaves.
When you’re focused on a demanding cognitive task, your prefrontal cortex produces waves in the Beta band (13–30 Hz). Isochronic tones are audible pulses repeated at a very specific frequency. If that frequency matches the Beta band, the brain tends to partially synchronise with it — a phenomenon known as frequency following response.
Unlike binaural tones, isochronic ones don’t need headphones because the pulse is already built into the sound itself. They work on speakers. Still, with headphones you isolate from ambient noise better and the experience is cleaner.
The Pomodoro on this page uses a Beta tone at 14 Hz over a 200 Hz carrier. It’s a conservative frequency, within the lower Beta band, which several studies associate with states of sustained attention without generating tension.
How to use it
- Pick a concrete task. Not “work”, but “write the first draft of the email to Mark” or “review the 12 backlog issues”.
- Close everything else. Any tab, notification or app you don’t need for that task. Put the phone face down.
- Hit start. The 25-minute countdown appears and the isochronic tone starts playing.
- Work until it rings. If a thought about something else hits you, jot it down on a sheet and come back. If you get interrupted, mark a tally next to it. That’s useful data to improve.
- Rest 5 minutes without screen. When the break starts, stand up. Don’t check the phone. Stretch, drink water, look far away.
- Four cycles, then a long break. After the fourth pomodoro, rest 15–30 minutes. This tool doesn’t time that one, but respect it.
What’s different in the Mind Focus app
This page is a very basic sample of what the app does. The timer is functional and enough, but the Mind Focus app goes several steps further:
- Circadian rhythms: tone frequency varies with the time of day. In the morning, higher frequencies within Beta are favoured (more activation); in the afternoon they ease off; at night they move close to Alpha territory.
- Flowmodoro: a Pomodoro variant where you don’t rest when the timer rings, but when you feel the flow break. More natural once you have some training.
- Gamma band tones for Ultrafocus: for creative or problem-solving tasks, with dynamic ramping from 14 Hz to 40 Hz across the block.
- Attention training: short practices so your attention improves over time, like a muscle.
- Active rest modes: breathwork and deep relaxation techniques for the long breaks.
If this small sample has been useful to you, the full app costs less than two coffees, just once in your life. No subscription. No ads. No data collection.
FAQ
Is it really free? Yes. This page collects no data, asks for no signup and shows no ads. It’s a free tool that also serves as a sample of the app.
Does it work on mobile? Yes. It’s mobile-first by design. Be aware that if you lock the phone screen, the browser suspends audio. For continuous experience even with the screen locked, you need the native app.
Are isochronic tones safe? Yes, for most people. If you have epilepsy, a history of seizures or a neurological disorder, consult your doctor before using isochronic or binaural tones for prolonged periods.
Can I close the tab and come back? If you close the tab, the cycle is lost. If you only switch tabs, the audio pauses and resumes when you come back, but the clock keeps counting.