How to use the 20 minute timer
- The timer is set to 20 minutes. Press Start or the space bar.
- The tab title shows the time left, and the bar under the numbers shrinks as time passes.
- The alarm rings at zero for up to a minute. Press space or Stop alarm to silence it.
Twenty minutes to rest
A short nap after lunch is a common way to get through a slow afternoon. Lie down, start the timer, and get up when it rings, even if you don’t feel you slept. To plan a full night instead, the sleep calculator works out bedtimes and wake-up times.
Twenty minutes to work
Twenty minutes is long enough to go deep on one thing and short enough to start without dread. It suits a reading session, a short run or bike ride, a yoga or stretching routine, a practice exam question set, or a first draft written without stopping to edit. When the alarm rings, decide whether to take a break or run another twenty minutes.