Set the timer to 3 seconds

How to use the online timer

Box breathing and other calming exercises work in blocks, and 3 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 it gets going immediately, no sign-up screen or settings menu standing in the way. The one thing to remember is that it counts down inside this browser tab, so it needs to stay open rather than closed or replaced by another site if you want an accurate result. A sound plays once the time is up, which is your cue that whatever you were timing is done.

A mechanical timer needs to be wound and a phone timer needs the phone unlocked, but this one just needs the page you already have open. It sits inside your browser, ready whenever you are, and it's the same tool whether you're on a laptop or a tablet in the kitchen. Free, with nothing to install or sign into, it's built to get out of your way and count. People type this as set timer 3 seconds or timer for 3 seconds; both land here and start the same count.