A 25-minute focus session followed by a five-minute break – that’s the Pomodoro Technique, the time-management method created by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. When studying for his exams, he tried different intervals with his tomato-shaped kitchen timer. Today, you don’t need to use an oddly shaped utensil to concentrate; Focus Tomato delivers this productivity method with a charming yet effective design.

What we love: With its nostalgic art style and quirky sense of humour, Focus Tomato stands out amongst the many Pomodoro apps available. It’s forgiving, too – the developers understand that sometimes distractions are inevitable and can even be helpful, so you can pause the timer at any point and still keep your progress. Tailor your focus session to what works for you!

Quick tip: You can choose ambient sounds such as running water, a coffee shop, a library and more to help you focus. When you’ve completed a session, you’ll receive a cute cartoon who brings words of encouragement. You can also upgrade to Tomato King to unlock the stats function and better understand your own focus and productivity patterns.

Meet the creator: Founded in 2019, Claus Huang Design is an app product design team based in Taipei.