A half-hour timer that keeps you on track
Thirty minutes is long enough for real progress and short enough to commit to without hesitation. This 30 minute timer opens ready to go: press Start, put the page aside and the alarm tells you when the half hour is over. In the meantime, you can check the remaining time in the browser tab, on the progress bar or in full screen mode.
What people use half an hour for
- Deep work blocks — write, code, design or study for half an hour without email or notifications. Many people find 30 minutes easier to start than an open-ended session.
- Exercise — a 30-minute walk, run, bike ride or workout is a common daily activity goal.
- Homework — a fixed half hour per subject helps children (and adults) focus and know when they can stop.
- Exams and practice tests — rehearse timed sections under realistic conditions.
- Cooking and baking — cakes, roasted vegetables, casseroles and many oven recipes take around 30 minutes; so does letting dough rest.
- Meetings and calls — keep a half-hour meeting from overrunning, with full screen mode on a shared display.
- Laundry and chores — a reminder to move clothes to the dryer or check on something.
- Gaming and screen time — a clear, fair limit everyone can see.
Tips for productive half hours
Pick one task. Decide what you want to finish before pressing Start, and write it down. A single, specific goal works better than a vague plan.
Remove distractions. Silence your phone and close unrelated tabs — the timer will still show the remaining time in its tab title.
Take a short break afterwards. After the alarm, step away for five minutes before starting the next block. The 5 Minute Timer works well for that.
Keep the alarm audible. Leave Alarm sound on and your volume up. On phones, keep the screen on.
Built for accuracy
Rather than counting seconds one by one, the timer remembers when the thirty minutes should end and compares that with your device clock. This keeps it on time even if the browser throttles background tabs, which ordinary timers may not handle well. The alarm is generated in the browser, so no audio download is needed.
Other timers
Try the 15 Minute Timer or the 1 Hour Timer for other lengths, the Pomodoro Timer for work-and-break cycles, or the Countdown Timer for any custom time.