50-minute timer
Fifty minutes deep, ten minutes away. Already set.
Fifty minutes is the deep-work length: enough runway to get fully into something difficult, paired with a 10-minute break that is long enough to actually leave the desk.
The timer above is set to 50/10 and ready to run. It keeps counting if you switch tabs, so you can work full-screen in something else.
What it is for
When a 50-minute timer helps.
Single-thread deep work
Writing, code, proofs, long reading — anything where the first ten minutes are spent rebuilding the context you lost last time.
Getting a morning's worth done
Two 50-minute blocks in a morning produce more finished work than a scattered four hours, because almost none of it is warm-up.
Breaks that genuinely rest
A ten-minute break is long enough to walk, eat, or go outside, which is what actually resets attention before the next block.
Deep sessions, visible growth
Longer focus grows a plant further in one sitting, so a deep-work day shows up as visible growth in your field.
Questions
50-minute timer, answered.
- How do I start a 50-minute timer?
- Press start. The timer above is already set to 50 minutes, followed by a 10-minute break, and it runs in your browser with no sign-up.
- Why 50 minutes instead of 25?
- Fifty minutes clears the warm-up cost that eats the front of a short block, so more of the session is spent at full depth. It suits writing, coding, and long reading.
- How long should the break after 50 minutes be?
- Ten minutes, long enough to stand up and leave the screen. A break you spend scrolling holds your attention in place instead of restoring it.
- Is 50/10 the same as the 52/17 rule?
- They are close cousins. The 52/17 rule came out of DeskTime's analysis of its most productive users; 50/10 is the same shape with rounder numbers.
Other lengths
Need a different block?
Every timer here is free and ready to start. For the thinking behind the lengths, read the Pomodoro guides.
25-minute timer
Set, ready, and free. Press start for a classic Pomodoro.
30-minute timer
A half hour of focus, already set. Press start.
1-hour timer
Sixty minutes, set and ready. Press start.
90-minute timer
One deep-work block, one real break. Set and ready.
Study timer
Fifty minutes of study, ten away. Set and free.
Focus timer
One task, a fixed block, and something to show for it.