Bonk
How to use a Pomodoro timer on Chrome
Free, no account · Updated
The Pomodoro technique is simple: work in short, focused bursts, with a break after each one. The usual burst is 25 minutes of focus, then 5 minutes off, and a longer break after four rounds.
The hard part is staying off your phone and your usual sites for those 25 minutes. Bonk's Pomodoro timer does that for you. While a focus session runs, your blocked sites stay blocked, and when the break starts they open again. It's free and needs no account.
Start a Pomodoro in four steps
- Add Bonk to Chrome from the Chrome Web Store.
- Click the Bonk icon in Chrome's toolbar and block the sites that distract you. A session blocks everything on your list.
- On the Sites tab, make sure the card at the top is set to Pomodoro.
- Click Start.
A character starts counting down 25 minutes, and your blocked sites are shut until it's done. You can close the popup, because the timer keeps running in the background.
What happens in a session
- Focus: your list is blocked, even if you'd normally have it open at that time.
- Break: the sites are unblocked and the break counts down. When it ends, the next focus session starts by itself.
- Long break: after the fourth focus session you get a longer break, and that finishes the cycle.
Hard mode and strict schedules still apply during a break, because those are meant to be unbreakable.
Change the lengths
The defaults are 25 minutes of focus, a 5-minute break and a 15-minute long break. To change them, open the Settings tab, find the Pomodoro card and edit Focus, Break and Long break. Each can be anything from 1 to 180 minutes, so a 50-minute focus with a 10-minute break works if 25 feels too short.
Streaks and stats
Finishing a focus session adds to your streak, which counts the days in a row you finished at least one. If you quit a session early, it doesn't count. The Stats tab shows your focus time, your sessions and your streak, and there's a 30-day report if you want the bigger picture.
Get alerts when a session ends
In the Settings tab you can switch on sounds and Chrome notifications for the end of a session and the end of a break. That way you can leave the tab and still know when to stop.
Tips that make the technique work
- Pick one task before you start, and write it down. A session with no task turns into browsing.
- Use the break to stand up. Looking at another screen isn't a break.
- If a thought pops up mid-session, jot it on paper and carry on.
- Start with two or three sessions a day. You build the habit by finishing them, not by planning a perfect schedule.
Questions
Is the Pomodoro timer free?
Yes. The timer, the breaks, the streak and the stats are all free. You don't need an account.
Do my sites open during a break?
Yes. Your blocked sites are unblocked while a break runs, and they close again when the next focus session starts.
Does the timer keep going if I close the popup?
Yes. It runs in the background, so you can close the popup and carry on working.
Can I stop a session early?
You can quit it, but a quit session doesn't count toward your streak. If you want a session you really can't leave, use hard mode instead.
Can I change the 25 minutes?
Yes. Set the focus, break and long break lengths in the Settings tab, anywhere from 1 to 180 minutes.