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Timer

52:00

3 × 52 min focus · 17 min breaks · 17 min long break

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A routine of named steps, each with its own length, run in order and repeated.

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      An audio file up to 1 MB. It stays in this browser and appears as "My sound" in the Sound list.

      Focus history

      Space
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      F
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      R
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      M
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      Read next: 25/5, 50/10 or 52/17: how long to focus before taking a breakAll 8 timers

      52/17 timer: 52 minutes of work, 17 minutes of rest

      The 52/17 rhythm comes from data rather than a book: a time-tracking company looked at when its most productive users worked and rested, and these were the averages.

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      The short answer

      The 52/17 rule is 52 minutes of focused work followed by a 17-minute break. It comes from a 2014 analysis by the time-tracking app DeskTime, which found that the most productive 10% of its users worked for 52 minutes at a time on average, then broke for 17. It is an observation of one app's users, not a controlled study, so treat it as a rhythm to try.

      How to use it

      Three steps to a timer on the wall

      1. Step 1: Choose a time

        Pick a preset or set your own. The timer remembers what you used last on this device.

      2. Step 2: Press start

        Start the timer, then press F or the fullscreen button to fill the screen.

      3. Step 3: Run the room

        Space pauses, the up arrow adds a minute, R resets. Fullscreen shows the timer alone, with no ads and no navigation.

      Running it well

      Four things worth knowing

      • Seventeen minutes is a long break, so use it

        It is long enough to go outside, eat something or have a proper conversation. The DeskTime finding was that its productive users really stepped away, not that they checked email for seventeen minutes.

      • Treat the numbers as a starting point

        52 and 17 were averages across many people. If fifty minutes is your natural limit, or twenty minutes of rest feels better, change the boxes. The rhythm matters more than the exact figures.

      • Plan the day in cycles

        A cycle is 69 minutes. Three of them fill about three and a half hours, which is a realistic amount of focused work for one morning.

      • Silence everything for the 52

        The pattern depends on the work block being focused. Close chat, put the phone away, and let the bell tell you when you can look again.

      In the room

      Built to be read from the back row

      A timer that only works on the person running it is not doing the job. The digits scale to the screen, the colour changes before the end, and fullscreen shows nothing else at all.

      A teacher presenting to a classroom of students
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      No ads on your big screen

      Ads pay for this page, and they stay on this page. The moment the timer goes fullscreen there is nothing on screen but the time — no banners, no navigation, no surprises in front of a room.

      • Fullscreen shows the timer alone
      • Ad sounds can never clash with the alarm
      • Saved times stay on your device — no account
      • Works with an ad blocker, and offline once loaded
      FAQ

      Questions people ask

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      Tell us

      What is the 52/17 rule?

      Working for 52 minutes, then taking a 17-minute break. It comes from DeskTime's 2014 analysis of the habits of its most productive users.

      Is the 52/17 rule backed by research?

      It comes from one company's data on its own users, not from a controlled study. It is a reasonable rhythm to try, not a proven optimum.

      How is it different from the Pomodoro Technique?

      It uses longer work blocks and much longer breaks: 52 and 17 rather than 25 and 5. Both break the day into timed focus with real rest between.

      Can I change the lengths?

      Yes. Type any focus, break and long-break lengths in minutes, and how many cycles to run.

      Time something specific

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