Short answer: a Pomodoro short break is 5 minutes (Francesco Cirillo, who created the technique, describes 3 to 5 minutes). After every four pomodoros you take a long break of 15 to 30 minutes. If you lengthen your work blocks, lengthen the breaks in proportion, about one minute of rest for every five of work.
The standard Pomodoro schedule
| Step | Length |
|---|---|
| Pomodoro (focus) | 25 min |
| Short break | 3–5 min |
| Repeat | 4 pomodoros in total |
| Long break | 15–30 min |
One full set (four pomodoros, three short breaks and one long break) takes about two to two and a half hours. The FlowTime Pomodoro timer follows this pattern automatically and starts a long break after the fourth round.
Why the short break is so short
The break is meant to be long enough to step back from the task but short enough that you haven't lost your place when you return. Five minutes is enough to stand up, refill water and let your eyes and mind rest, but not enough to get pulled into something new. Research on short "micro-breaks" (10 minutes or less) has generally found that they help people feel less tired and more energetic. The effect on performance is smaller and depends on the kind of work, so treat the break as maintenance rather than a magic boost.
When to change the length
Take shorter breaks (2–3 min) when
- You use short focus blocks, such as 10 or 15 minutes, for example on the ADHD timer.
- You tend to drift off during breaks and struggle to come back.
Take longer breaks (8–10 min) when
- You've stretched the focus block to 45 or 50 minutes. Keep roughly a 5 to 1 ratio: 50 minutes of work, 10 of rest.
- The work is physically or visually tiring, such as long stretches of reading or screen work.
- You use the 52/17 rule, which pairs a 52 minute block with a 17 minute break.
Skip the fixed break when you're in flow
If the alarm keeps cutting you off mid-thought, a count-up method may suit you better. With the Flowtime Technique you work until your focus fades, then take a break that matches the session. See the Flowtime break chart for the numbers.
Quick reference by work length
| Work block | Short break | Long break (after 4) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 min | 3 min | 10–15 min |
| 25 min | 5 min | 15–30 min |
| 45 min | 8–10 min | 20–30 min |
| 50 min | 10 min | 30 min |
What to do in a Pomodoro break
- Move. Stand up, stretch, walk to another room.
- Look far away. Give your eyes a rest from the screen.
- Drink water or make a tea.
- Avoid new input. Email, news and social feeds hand your attention a new task and make the restart harder.
Use a separate countdown for the break so it actually ends: the 5 minute break timer for short breaks and the 15 minute timer for long ones. The FlowTime app handles both for you and records each finished session in your stats.