5 Minute Timer
One tap, 5 minutes, a clear chime at zero — and the countdown lives in the tab title, so you can work in another window meanwhile.
Five minutes is the perfect short break
Five minutes sits in a sweet spot: long enough to actually reset, short enough that you'll really come back. It's the standard break in the Pomodoro method (25 minutes of work, 5 of rest — if that's your cycle, our Pomodoro timer runs both intervals for you).
It's also the tea timer. Most steeping mistakes are over-steeping, and five minutes is the upper end for black tea — many teas want less:
Steep times at a glance
| Tea | Steep time | Preset to use |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 2–3 min | 3 min on /timer/ |
| White | 4–5 min | 5 min ✓ |
| Black | 3–5 min | 5 min ✓ (lighter: 3–4) |
| Herbal / rooibos | 5–7 min | 5 min, add to taste |
| French press coffee | 4 min | /timer/ custom |
Beyond the kitchen: a five-minute guided-free meditation (sit, eyes closed, count breaths until the chime), a stretching break after every hour of desk work, or a soft-boiled egg (5 minutes from boiling water gives a runny yolk; 6–7 for jammy).
Frequently asked questions
Can I use this as a Pomodoro break timer?
Yes — this page is exactly a 5-minute countdown. But if you're doing full work/break cycles, the Pomodoro timer switches between 25 and 5 automatically, which is less fiddly.
Does it keep running if I switch tabs?
Yes. The remaining time shows in the tab title, so your tea won't over-steep while you answer email.
Will my phone play the chime if the screen locks?
Honest answer: maybe not. Mobile browsers can pause background pages to save battery. For anything critical on a phone, keep the tab in the foreground and the screen on.
Is 5 minutes enough to meditate?
It's enough to be worth doing. Consistency beats duration — a daily 5-minute sit builds the habit that longer sessions grow from.