3 minute timer, 180 seconds, with cues.

A 3 minute timer counts 180 seconds down and rings at zero. Three minutes is the first length that has a clear beginning, middle and end, so this timer can chime at the halfway point and again with one minute left. You can also run it in rounds, name it, and read it full screen across a room. It keeps correct time in a background tab.

How to use the 3 minute timer

1. Press Start or the space bar. The countdown begins at 3:00 and the line under the numbers shows the clock time it ends.
2. Pick a label under What is it for?, or type your own in Label. It shows above the countdown, in the tab title and in the alarm notification.
3. Choose Rounds if you want the 3 minutes to repeat. A single bell marks the end of each round and the next one starts at once.
4. Pick the alarm Sound and the Volume, and press Hear the sound to check it before you start.
5. Tick a soft cue if you want one: Soft chime at halfway, Soft chime when 1 minute is left or Tick the last 10 seconds.
6. Press Pause to hold the time and Resume to carry on. +1 min adds a minute. When it rings, press Stop the alarm, or Start again to run it once more.

Timing a three minute talk

Three minutes holds about one idea, with one example and one closing line. Split it with the cues: the halfway chime comes when 1:30 is left, so you should be on your example, and the one minute left chime comes at 1:00, so start closing. Practise once with the timer in full screen next to your notes, then once without looking. If you run over, do not speed up; cut a sentence. Choose Chime or No sound if the cues would be heard by your audience, and watch the ring instead.

A three minute pause

For a short pause from the screen, pick the label Breathing, set the sound to Chime so the end is soft, and untick Keep ringing so it plays three times and stops. Look away from the screen and let your shoulders drop. This is a habit tool, not a treatment, and it makes no health claim.

Waits you read from a package

Many packets and recipes give a wait in minutes. If yours says three, press Start and let the bell tell you. This page does not know your food, so follow the package or recipe for what the time means and what is safe to eat.

Rounds of three minutes

3 minutes in other units

Three minutes fits twenty times into an hour. To run longer, +1 min adds a minute, or step up to the 5 minute timer.

Splitting three minutes: a worked script

For a three minute talk, plan the time like this: 30 seconds for the hook, 90 seconds for the main point and its example, and 60 seconds for the close and ask. Check the sum: 30 + 90 + 60 = 180 seconds. The halfway chime at 1:30 left falls in the middle of the main point, and the one minute chime at 1:00 left marks the start of the close. Rehearse with the cues on, then turn them off for the real thing if you prefer a silent room.

Common problems

• Cues and alarm sound alike. The halfway and one minute cues are soft tones at different pitches, and the alarm is a different sound. Choose Beep for the alarm if you want it to stand out.
• The page slept. Phones can pause a page that is off screen. Keep it open, and leave Keep the screen on ticked.