Pomolite — a free minimalist Pomodoro timer with notes and tasks

Pomolite is a quiet, distraction-free Pomodoro timer that runs entirely in your browser. Work in focused intervals, take restorative breaks, capture what you did in markdown session notes, and check off your top priorities — all without creating an account. Your settings, notes, tasks, and focus statistics are stored locally on your device and never leave your browser.

How the Pomodoro Technique works in Pomolite

Start a focus session and Pomolite counts down inside a smooth circular progress ring. When the session ends, a soft chime and an optional browser notification signal your break. After a configurable number of focus sessions you earn a longer break. Focus, short break, and long break durations are all adjustable with one-minute precision, so Pomolite works just as well for classic 25/5 pomodoros, 50/10 deep work blocks, or 20-minute study sprints.

Session notes in markdown

Whenever you pause or take a break, a note editor slides up asking what you are working on. Notes support live-styled markdown — bold, italic, inline code, headings, strikethrough, and lists — and save automatically on every keystroke. Your full note history is searchable, and every note can be copied, deleted, or exported together as a single markdown file.

A task list that writes your work log for you

Keep your top priorities right under the timer. When you check off a task, it is automatically appended to the current session's note as a completed item, so by the end of the day your session notes read like a work journal of everything you accomplished. Ctrl+Z undoes an accidental check-off.

Combine Pomodoro with Getting Things Done (GTD)

Pomolite pairs the Pomodoro Technique with the capture-and-clarify habits of David Allen's Getting Things Done method. Keep your top priorities under the timer so every session starts with a pre-made decision, brain-dump stray thoughts into session notes during breaks, and let checked-off tasks build an automatic work journal. GTD decides what to do; Pomodoro gets it done.

Protect your eyes with the 20-20-20 rule

The 20-20-20 rule, recommended by optometrists to prevent digital eye strain, says that every 20 minutes you should look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Set Pomolite's focus sessions to 20 minutes and every break becomes a built-in reminder to rest your eyes, reduce dryness and blurred vision, and return to the screen refreshed.

Focus statistics and streaks

Pomolite tracks how many sessions and focus minutes you complete today and across the last seven days, visualized in a simple bar chart, along with your daily streak of consecutive focus days.

Compact floating timer

Compact view shrinks Pomolite into a small pill showing just the ring and countdown. In supported browsers it floats above every other window using Document Picture-in-Picture — perfect for keeping your timer visible while you write, code, read, or study.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method where you work in focused intervals (traditionally 25 minutes) separated by short breaks, with a longer break after every few sessions. It reduces mental fatigue and makes large tasks feel manageable.
Is Pomolite free?
Yes. Pomolite is completely free with no sign-up, no account, and no ads. All of your data — settings, notes, tasks, and stats — is stored locally in your browser.
Can I customize the focus and break durations?
Yes. Focus, short break, and long break durations are all adjustable with 1-minute precision, and you can configure how many focus sessions make up a long-break cycle or disable long breaks entirely.
Does the timer keep running if I close the tab or my computer sleeps?
Yes. Pomolite computes remaining time from a wall-clock end timestamp rather than a ticking counter, so the countdown stays accurate through tab sleep, reloads, and brief closures. A session in progress resumes exactly where it should.
Can I take notes during a Pomodoro session?
Yes. A markdown note editor appears whenever you pause or take a break, with live styling for bold, italic, code, headings, and lists. Notes are saved automatically and searchable in your history, and you can export them all as a single markdown file.
Does Pomolite have a task list?
Yes. Pomolite has a built-in priorities list. Checking off a task automatically logs it to your current session note, so your notes become a record of what you accomplished in each focus session.
Can I keep the timer visible while working in other windows?
Yes. Compact view shrinks the timer to a small pill, and in supported browsers it can float above other windows using Document Picture-in-Picture. Toggle it with Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+M.
Does Pomolite track my focus statistics?
Yes. Pomolite tracks sessions and focus minutes for today and the last 7 days, plus your daily streak, shown in a simple bar chart. Everything stays private in your browser's local storage.
Is there a Pomolite desktop app for Mac?
Yes. Pomolite is available as a native Mac desktop app, so your timer lives in its own window outside the browser — perfect for keeping it visible on your desktop or a second display while you work. You can download it free from the link in the footer below.
What is the best Pomodoro length for studying or deep work?
It depends on the task. The classic 25/5 rhythm suits most knowledge work, 50/10 blocks fit deep work like writing or coding, and 20-minute sessions align perfectly with the 20-20-20 eye-health rule for screen-heavy study days. Pomolite lets you tune all three durations to find your rhythm.
How does Pomolite combine Pomodoro with GTD and the 20-20-20 rule?
Your priorities list handles the GTD habit of deciding what matters before you start, the timer handles focused execution, and breaks double as 20-20-20 eye-rest reminders. Three proven methods, one quiet interface.