How does the Focus Sprint Timer work?

Write one line about what this sprint is for, pick a plan, and press Start. The room runs a sequence of focus and recovery blocks, chimes at each change if sound is on, and logs every finished focus block with the line you wrote. When the last block ends it asks what you finished, what got in the way and what the next small step is.

Does it keep time if I switch tabs or lock my phone?

Yes. The timer stores the moment the block ends and works out the time left from the clock, so a background tab or a sleeping laptop cannot make it drift. If a block ended while you were away, it is logged at the time it ended. Browsers do mute sound in a background tab on some phones, so turn on notifications if you need the nudge.

Which plan should I pick?

Use the 12-minute starter when starting is the hard part. The classic sprint (four rounds of 25 minutes with 5-minute breaks and 15 minutes at the end) suits most desk work. Two 45-minute blocks suit writing or code that needs a run-up, and the single 90-minute block suits the one task that matters most today. You can change the focus length, recovery length and rounds yourself.

What should I do in a recovery block?

Leave the screen. Stand up, get water, look out of a window or walk. Email and feeds feel like a rest but keep your attention busy, so the next block starts tired. The room shows a suggestion during each recovery block, and you can skip it if you are mid-thought.

Where is my session saved?

In this browser, after every change, so a reload or a closed tab keeps your plan, the running block and the log. If you are signed in, it is also saved to your HourLife account, so it opens on your other devices, and you can delete it there in Settings. Signed out, nothing is sent to HourLife or anyone else. Clearing your browser's site data removes it, so copy or download the session summary to keep a record.

Are there keyboard shortcuts?

Space starts and pauses, N skips to the next block, F toggles fullscreen and M turns the chime on or off. They are ignored while you are typing in a field.

How is this different from the Timers board?

The Timers board runs several countdowns, stopwatches and workout intervals side by side. This is one timer for one piece of deep work, with an intention, a planned run of blocks and a log of what you did, and nothing else on the screen.

Keep this tool for later

Tools
Focus Sprint Timer

Start a focus sprint in under a minute

Write one line about what the sprint is for, pick a run of focus and recovery blocks, and work in a full-screen room with one big timer and nothing else on it.

Open the focus room Pick a plan first

5 plans, or set your own
Keeps time in a background tab
Free, no account

How it works

The setup takes less time than reading this section.

Say what the sprint is for

One line at the top of the room, like "Write the first draft of the proposal". It stays in view for the whole sprint, and every finished focus block is logged with it.
Set the room and press Start

Tick off the phone, the extra tabs and the open door, then press Start or Space. The ring counts down, and the side panel fades while you focus.
Recover, then write it down

Each recovery block suggests something away from the screen. When the plan ends, three short questions record what you finished, what got in the way and the next step.

Pick a plan

Each one opens the room with its blocks laid out. You can change the focus length, recovery length and number of blocks once you are in.

What the room does for you

Small things that make it easier to stay with one task.

Keeps time from the clock
The timer stores when the block ends, so a background tab or a sleeping laptop cannot slow it. A block that ended while you were away is logged at the time it ended.
Parks stray thoughts
During a focus block, a field under the timer takes the thing you just remembered. It waits in the side panel until the sprint is over.
Tells you when a block ends
An optional soft chime, an optional browser notification, and the time left in the tab title, so you can see it from another window.
Gives you a record
The log keeps each focus block with its intention and a total for today. Copy it or download it as a text file for your notes.

Where the blocks come from

The classic sprint is the Pomodoro Technique Francesco Cirillo described: 25 minutes of work, a 5-minute break, and a longer break after the fourth. The longer plans follow Cal Newport's argument in Deep Work (2016) that demanding work needs long stretches without switching. No block length suits everyone, so treat the plans as starting points and change the numbers to match how long you can actually stay with a task.

If you are not sure where your focus time goes, start with the Time Audit and use the first block it frees up for a sprint. For a plain countdown, a stopwatch or workout intervals, several at once, use Timers.

Questions

How does the Focus Sprint Timer work?

Write one line about what this sprint is for, pick a plan, and press Start. The room runs a sequence of focus and recovery blocks, chimes at each change if sound is on, and logs every finished focus block with the line you wrote. When the last block ends it asks what you finished, what got in the way and what the next small step is.
Does it keep time if I switch tabs or lock my phone?

Yes. The timer stores the moment the block ends and works out the time left from the clock, so a background tab or a sleeping laptop cannot make it drift. If a block ended while you were away, it is logged at the time it ended. Browsers do mute sound in a background tab on some phones, so turn on notifications if you need the nudge.
Which plan should I pick?

Use the 12-minute starter when starting is the hard part. The classic sprint (four rounds of 25 minutes with 5-minute breaks and 15 minutes at the end) suits most desk work. Two 45-minute blocks suit writing or code that needs a run-up, and the single 90-minute block suits the one task that matters most today. You can change the focus length, recovery length and rounds yourself.
What should I do in a recovery block?

Leave the screen. Stand up, get water, look out of a window or walk. Email and feeds feel like a rest but keep your attention busy, so the next block starts tired. The room shows a suggestion during each recovery block, and you can skip it if you are mid-thought.
Where is my session saved?

In this browser, after every change, so a reload or a closed tab keeps your plan, the running block and the log. If you are signed in, it is also saved to your HourLife account, so it opens on your other devices, and you can delete it there in Settings. Signed out, nothing is sent to HourLife or anyone else. Clearing your browser's site data removes it, so copy or download the session summary to keep a record.
Are there keyboard shortcuts?

Space starts and pauses, N skips to the next block, F toggles fullscreen and M turns the chime on or off. They are ignored while you are typing in a field.
How is this different from the Timers board?

The Timers board runs several countdowns, stopwatches and workout intervals side by side. This is one timer for one piece of deep work, with an intention, a planned run of blocks and a log of what you did, and nothing else on the screen.