Set the timer to 23 minutes

How to use the online timer

Stepping outside for 23 minutes in the middle of a long stretch at your desk does more for your focus than another coffee. Set the timer, get outside if you can, and use the time to move rather than scrolling on your phone. When it finishes, you get back to the desk with a clearer head, and the walk feels less like procrastination when there's a defined end point.

Using it is as simple as it sounds: hit Start and the countdown takes over from there. Keep the browser tab open while it runs, since the timer only keeps counting while the page stays loaded, and pause or reset it any time if your plans change. When time's up, a sound plays to let you know, so you don't need to keep glancing at the screen.

There's something to be said for a timer that doesn't try to sell you a premium version or bury the start button behind ads you have to swipe past. This one lives in a browser tab, plain and straightforward, doing exactly what it says and nothing else. You can leave the tab minimised while you get on with things, and it'll keep counting until it's time to let you know. Set a timer for 23 minutes, set the timer to 23 minutes, start a 23 minutes timer — it is the same countdown either way.