Emphasis - Focus Timer 4+

I’ve used several apps that apply the pomodoro technique, each with great success. But I’ve found this app to boost my productivity like never before. The boost in productivity has unexpectedly come from the timer being a graphic representation as opposed to the numerical representation common among most productivity apps. I noticed with the graphic timer I look at the timer a lot less and focus more on the work I’m doing. This could be because rather than thinking “Oh I have 5:32 left on the clock” (which I do often with numerical countdown timers) I see an estimate visually represented by a pie graphic and I think “There is still time left, so just keep working.” This “so just keep working” default that has come from not knowing the amount of time left down to the last second has helped me “just keep working” which was my objective in using the app. Couple this graphic timer with the simple progress tracker and minimalist user interface, this app has given me tremendous value in regard to productivity, especially as I continue working on my dissertation.

[Background info, feel free to skip:
• I am a 15 year old girl
• I use the timer for school homework, reading and taking notes on self improvement and psychology related books, learning a 2nd language, and sometimes singing
• I have only really used the pomodoro timer so far

It has already helped me to get a lot more work done, in fact, I’m using the timer right now.
One thing I was hesitant at first about the pomodoro technique was the 5 minute breaks that occur after every 25 minute session. At first I thought they were disruptive to my flow, but I’ve come to realize they prevent overly long breaks and burnout. Think of it this way — lets say it’s been a few hours after lunch and a person starts to feel a tad hungry. They may hold off on eating, thinking they’re avoiding unnecessary calories, but then they end up overeating when they finally do allow themselves to because of the intense hunger. Meanwhile they could have simply had a moderate meal earlier and be just as full.
I highly suggest this technique to anyone, and this timer is perfect for it.
I also appreciate its simple but still pleasant layout, the choice of different colors, and how all of the sessions and breaks (long & short) are customizable in both duration and amount.

I have been using this timer for over a year. It has helped immensely with my productivity, as I use it to time my “animedoro” sessions. The interface is clean and easy to use. The design is pretty, and having the timer not use the exact minutes left is a great feature so it doesn’t feel like I’m just counting down the minutes until my break.

However, I have been steadily running into the same issue. I will start a work session, and the session will end without a notification or ding if I'm in another app despite me having both my sound and notifications on. I have it on my iPad, where I also take my notes at the same time, so it is possible this may be causing issues. Another problem I have is that I will finish a work session, and it will have me start another work session by pressing the timer, instead of starting my short break. Often times, I do not notice that it has changed and will accidentally start a new work session when I mean to be on a break.