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Break Timer
Tap the length of your break, press Start and walk away from the desk. Come back when the alarm sounds.
10 minutes
Spacestart / pauseRresetFfull screen+ −add or remove a minute0–9type a time
After about 25 minutes of work. Stand, stretch, refill your glass.
After about 50 minutes. Enough for a short walk and a drink.
After about an hour, or a coffee break in a workshop.
After a 90-minute block. Go outside if you can.
Lunch, or the long break after several work blocks.
How long should a break be
| Work block | Break | What fits in it |
|---|---|---|
| 25 min | 5 min | Stand up, stretch, water, look out of a window |
| 50 min | 10–15 min | A walk around the building, a snack, a short chat |
| 90 min | 15–20 min | A walk outside, fresh air and daylight |
| 3–4 work blocks, or midday | 30 min | A meal away from the desk |
| Class of younger pupils | 3–5 min | A movement “brain break” between activities |
These pairings are common practice, not prescriptions. For a 3-minute brain break, set the time with the steppers.
How to use it
- Tap the break length: 10 minutes is selected. Use the steppers for anything else, such as 3 minutes.
- Press Start before you get up, so the break begins when the work stops.
- Leave your seat. If the device is staying behind, tap “Notify me” or turn the volume up so you hear the alarm from the next room.
- For a group, press the full-screen button. The countdown on the display tells everyone when to be back.
A break needs an end
Work sessions get planned; breaks tend to be left open, and an open break is the one that turns into 40 minutes. Putting an alarm on it works in both directions. It gets you back on time, and it lets you rest properly in the meantime, because you no longer have to keep half an eye on the clock.
In a classroom or workshop the countdown replaces the announcement nobody remembers. “Back at ten past” is forgotten by the door. A screen showing 4:12 and falling is hard to argue with, and people drift back to their seats as it nears zero.
What makes a break restore attention
A useful break changes what your body and eyes were doing. If you sat, move. If you looked at something an arm’s length away, look at something far off. Add daylight when you can, water, and a snack if the next meal is distant. Five minutes spent like that does more than fifteen on a phone, which keeps your eyes at the same distance and your mind on new input.
Match the break to the work behind it. Five minutes is enough after 25, 10 to 15 after 50, 15 to 20 after a 90-minute block, and half an hour for lunch or after a run of several blocks. Younger pupils need shorter and more frequent pauses: a movement brain break of 3 to 5 minutes between activities. For screen-heavy days the 20-20-20 timer adds short eye rests between breaks, and the nap timer covers the case where the break is a sleep.
Common mistakes
- Taking the break at the desk with a different tab open. Your attention never leaves the screen, so it never rests.
- Starting “one short video”. Feeds have no natural end, and the alarm then has to compete with something built to hold you.
- Working through the break to get ahead. The time comes back out of the next block as slower work.
- Using a 30-minute break after every short task. Long breaks belong after long stretches.
- In class, giving free time with no visible clock. Without a countdown, getting everyone back costs more than the break.
Questions people ask
How long should a break be after an hour of work?
Ten to 15 minutes. After 25 minutes take 5, and after a 90-minute block take 15 to 20. Use 30 minutes for lunch or after three or four blocks in a row.
What should I do on a 10 minute break?
Get up, walk, drink some water and look at something far away, outdoors if possible. Leave the phone at the desk so that ten minutes stays ten.
How long should a brain break be in the classroom?
Three to 5 minutes for younger pupils, between activities, with some movement. Older students manage with 5 to 10 minutes between longer lessons.
Is a 15 minute break too long?
Not after an hour or more of concentrated work. It becomes too long when it follows 20 minutes of work, or when it is spent on something that is hard to stop.
How do I show the classroom break timer to the whole room?
Open it on the computer connected to the projector and press the full-screen button. Pick a color from the swatches that reads well from the back row, and keep the alarm volume moderate.