Set the timer to 173 seconds

How to use the online timer

Stepping away from a screen for 173 seconds does more for your focus than another scroll through your phone at your desk. Set the timer, actually leave your seat, and treat it as a hard stop rather than a suggestion you'll talk yourself out of after thirty seconds. When it goes off, you get back to work with a clearer head instead of drifting back in on your own vague timing.

Hit Start whenever you're ready and the timer runs on its own from there, no further clicking required until it finishes. It only counts while the tab stays open, so leave it running in the background rather than closing the browser or navigating away if you need the time to stay accurate. Once it reaches zero, an alarm sound lets you know without you having to keep checking the page.

Unlike a mechanical kitchen timer, this one doesn't need winding, batteries, or a spot on the bench where you'll remember to look at it. It sits in a browser tab, which means you can check it from your laptop, your phone, or any device with a browser without owning a gadget for it. Minimise the window and it keeps counting; just don't close the tab. If you would rather say put a timer on for 173 seconds, that works too — press Start and the page does the rest.