5 minute timer, 300 seconds, no sign-up.

A 5 minute timer counts down 300 seconds and rings at zero. This one lets you name what the five minutes are for, chimes softly at halfway and with one minute left if you ask, repeats in rounds, and shows the clock time it will end. The alarm is booked on the browser's sound clock, so it is on time even when the tab is in the background.

How to use the 5 minute timer

1. Press Start or the space bar. The countdown begins at 5:00 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 5 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.

Five minutes to get started

Putting off a task is often about the first step, not the whole job. Promise yourself five minutes: press Start, open the file or pick up the cloth, and work until the bell. When it rings you may stop, and often you will want to go on. If you do, press Start again or move to the 10 minute timer. The label Quick task keeps the purpose in the tab title while you work in another tab.

A brain dump

Set the label to Brain dump, open a blank note and write everything on your mind until the bell, without sorting it. The five minute limit is the point: it stops you from editing while you write. When time is up, spend one more minute picking the three items that matter. If you want that minute timed, press +1 min.

Five minute breaks and huddles

A break needs an end, or it slides into twenty minutes. Press Start, stand up, and leave the screen until the ring is empty. For a team stand-up, put the timer in full screen on a shared display. With five people, five minutes is one minute each, so tick the one minute left cue to flag the final turn. Pair this with the Pomodoro timer if your day runs on work and break blocks.

Rounds of five minutes

5 minutes in other units

A five minute plan for your day

Try this sequence, which adds up to five minutes. Spend 2 minutes writing everything you want to do today, 2 minutes marking the three that matter, and 1 minute writing the first step of the first one. The halfway chime arrives when 2:30 is left, a little after the first part, and the one minute chime marks the final step. Then close the note and start.

Five minute chore rounds

For a messy home, use Rounds. Choose 4 rounds and give each one a job: the sink, the floor, the desk and the bins. A bell marks the end of a round and the next begins at once, so you move on even if a job is not perfect. The line under the numbers shows when the last round ends: start at 6:00 pm and the fourth ends at 6:20 pm.

Which cues to use

For a task you want to focus on, leave the cues off and watch only the ring. For something you are likely to lose track of, tick the halfway chime. For a hand-off, such as the end of a break, tick the one minute left chime to get ready to go back.

Common problems

• The alarm did not ring after a reload. Browsers keep sound off until you click the page. Click anywhere once, and the alarm is booked again for the right moment.
• It rang while you were away. It rings for up to a minute, then stops on its own. Untick Keep ringing and it plays three times instead.
• You need six minutes. Press +1 min once, or type 6 in Any other time.