Set the timer to 8 seconds

How to use the online timer

Cold exposure only needs to be brief to count, and 8 seconds is a realistic target if you're easing into cold showers or a quick ice bath rather than chasing a personal record. Start the clock as soon as the cold hits, breathe through it instead of watching the screen, and get out the second it beeps. Short, sharp, and over before your brain talks you out of it.

It runs the moment you hit Start, no extra steps needed before the numbers begin moving. Because everything happens inside this browser tab, it needs to remain open while the clock runs; switching tabs is fine, but closing the page or turning off your screen partway through will stop the countdown. A sound marks the finish, so you'll know the moment it's done without having to watch it count down.

A kitchen timer only works in the kitchen, and a phone timer competes with texts, calls, and every other app fighting for your attention. Keeping the countdown in a browser tab sidesteps both problems: it goes wherever your laptop or phone goes, and it isn't trying to notify you about anything else. Minimise it, work on something else, and it'll be counting when you check back. Set a timer for 8 seconds, set the timer to 8 seconds, start a 8 seconds timer — it is the same countdown either way.