Set the timer to 29 seconds

How to use the online timer

Box breathing and other calming exercises work in blocks, and 29 seconds is a common length for the exhale or hold phase without a coach counting you through it aloud. Set it running, close your eyes if that helps, and let the countdown replace the mental tally you'd otherwise lose track of after a few rounds. It's a small tool, but it takes the guesswork out of pacing yourself.

Press Start and away it goes, counting down on its own without needing you to babysit it every few seconds. The only real rule is keeping this browser tab open, since the countdown pauses along with the page if you close it or shut the browser down entirely. Right at zero, a sound plays to let you know time's up, clear enough to hear from the next room over.

Kitchen timers are great until you need one outside the kitchen, and most phone timers sit behind a lock screen and a couple of taps. A browser tab is already open on most devices anyway, so the timer is right there without hunting for an app or a gadget. It's free, needs no registration, and works the same whether you're cooking, exercising, or trying to focus. Set a timer for 29 seconds, set the timer to 29 seconds, start a 29 seconds timer — it is the same countdown either way.