Pomodoro Timer
Work, short break, repeat — a long break after every fourth round.
Free from Ticka — the reminder app that rings like an alarm, even on silent. A pomodoro is a task, too. In Ticka the timer lives inside your day’s tasks. App Store → Google Play → App Store → Google Play →
That’s a real block of work. On your phone, Ticka runs the same cycles with the time on your lock screen, keeps going with the app closed, and rings even on silent.
When twenty-five minutes is the wrong size
The technique has four parts: a block of work, a short break, a longer break after four blocks, and a count of how many you did. Only the first part gets all the attention, and it is the one most worth changing.
If starting is the hard bit — the task you keep circling — twenty-five minutes can feel like a contract you are not ready to sign. Fifteen with a five-minute break is an easier yes, and you can stretch it once the work has momentum. If your work needs a long run-up, like writing or code, twenty-five interrupts you just as you get going; fifty with ten is kinder to that kind of task.
Whichever size you pick, keep the breaks real. Stand up, look away from the screen, get water. A break spent on your phone is not a break for your attention, and it is usually why the next round feels harder than the last. Auto-start is on by default here for the same reason: deciding to start again is the step people skip.