Pomodoro Timer

UUID: pomodoro@gregfreeman.org
Last edited:
3 weeks ago 2024-11-18, 09:00
Last commit: [cb027fda] Add/update Finnish translations (#6580)

Great tool for boosted productivity!

README

Close

Pomodoro Timer

The Pomodoro technique is used to boost productivity and this applet provides an easy way to use the technique right on your desktop.

Read more about the technique here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique.

Installing

  • Install sox play if you want the sound capability: sudo apt install sox
  • Extract to ~/.local/share/cinnamon/applets
  • Enable the applet in cinnamon settings

How To Use

The traditional Pomodoro technique involves setting a timer for focused work sessions followed by short breaks, and completing a long break after every few rounds to maximize productivity. Here’s how you can use this applet to boost your productivity:

  1. Activate the Timer: Once the applet is installed and enabled, click on the applet icon in your panel to open the timer menu. Optionally you can set the timer to start automatically when you log in.
  2. Start a Pomodoro Session: Toggle the timer on from the menu to begin a 25-minute work session. During this time, focus entirely on your task without any distractions.
  3. Take Short Breaks: After each Pomodoro, take a short break of 5 minutes. Use this time to rest, which increases concentration for the next session.
  4. Take Long Breaks: After completing four Pomodoros, it is recommended to take a longer break of 15-30 minutes. This helps to recover from the exertion and reset your mental energy.
  5. Customize Your Timers: Access the applet settings to adjust the duration of the Pomodoros, short breaks, and long breaks to suit your personal productivity rhythm.
  6. Use Keyboard Shortcuts: Set up a keyboard shortcut via the applet settings to quickly access the timer menu without needing to use the mouse.
  7. Monitor Your Progress: The applet keeps track of how many Pomodoros you have completed during the day, encouraging you to stay focused and reach your daily goals.
  8. Reset or Skip Timers: If you need to end a session early, you can reset the current timer or skip to the next session through the applet menu.

For optimal productivity, try to avoid pausing the timer once a Pomodoro has started, as the technique is most effective when sessions are completed in one go.

Tips

Understanding Dialog Windows and Auto Start Settings

The applet provides configurable settings that affect how timers transition from one state to another—whether through manual interaction via dialog windows or automatically.

Dialog Windows

  • Purpose: Dialog windows serve as interactive notifications that prompt you to manually proceed to the next timer. They are crucial for ensuring you consciously acknowledge the transition from work to break, or from break back to work.
  • Usage: When dialog windows are enabled, you must manually start the next timer by clicking a button in the dialog. This is useful if you want to control when to actually start the next session, providing a moment to prepare or adjust based on your current task or condition.

Auto Start Options

  • Purpose: Auto start settings allow for an uninterrupted workflow by automatically starting the next session—be it a Pomodoro, short break, or long break—without user interaction.
  • Usage:
    • Pomodoro and Short Break: If auto start is enabled for these timers, the next session will commence immediately after the current one ends, without showing any dialog, regardless if the dialog window option is enabled or disabled
    • Long Break: The auto start for a long break can work concurrently with dialog windows. When both are enabled, a dialog window will appear at the start of the long break showing a countdown. If the auto start after long break is also enabled, this dialog will automatically close when the countdown finishes, and a new Pomodoro will begin.

Best Practices for Configuring Settings

  • Maximize Focus: Enable auto start for Pomodoros and short breaks if you want to maintain a strict work rhythm without interruptions, ideal for deep focus sessions where maintaining momentum is crucial.
  • Stay Informed and Rested: Use dialog windows with long breaks to stay informed about the break period but still enjoy the benefit of automatic transition back to work, ensuring you don’t skip necessary rest.
  • Balance Flexibility and Structure: If your work requires flexibility, use dialog windows for Pomodoros and short breaks and disable auto start to decide when you're truly ready to move on. This setup helps manage work that may need sudden shifts or extensions in activity time.

Tailoring to Your Workflow

Experiment with different configurations to find the optimal setup that enhances your productivity without causing burnout. The goal is to leverage the Pomodoro technique in a way that best suits your daily routines and work demands, adjusting settings as needed to accommodate changes in your work intensity or focus requirements.

Features

  • Customize timer durations for the pomodoro, short and long breaks
  • See how many pomodoros you have completed
  • Configure what is shown in the panel, options include an icon and the timer counting down
  • Optionally play and configure sounds such as timer start and end
  • Show dialog windows at the end of the timers so you know to take a break
  • Auto start the timer when you first log in
  • Set a keyboard shortcut to open the applet menu and then use arrow keys to select options
  • Quickly reset the timer state or skip to the next timer if you want to end early

CHANGELOG

Open

Log In To Comment!

33 Comments

gfreeau
gfreeau-7 months ago
@MrOnijohn help me understand more your use case. Sounds like you want to be able to move to the next timer whenever you want if the functionality you're after (and activating it via keyboard). Why do you want that? you can configure the pomodoro time and short break time already, why is that not meeting your needs? @Ben Miller - the applet now has a new option to show a dialog when the current pomodoro has ended.
MrOnijohn
MrOnijohn-1 year ago
Thank you for this applet, it works great for me (Mint 21.1)! The only feature request I have is a keyboard shortcut for starting the next timer (be it break or work), which would be great!
richo
richo-2 years ago
thanks
richo
richo-2 years ago
thanks
Ben Miller
Ben Miller-2 years ago
I love this applet. I do have a request for a feature. There is no dialog message on screen that the current work session has ended, and no option I can set to notify when a work period has ended. It only tells me when the break has ended. While I understand not wanting to interrupt workflow if it is happening well and you just cruise through your break, it defeats the purpose of the applet if there is not some clear indication that you are done with your break. Again, I love this applet and thank you.
Anton Voloshchuk
Anton Voloshchuk-2 years ago
Added this feature here: https://github.com/glkclass/cinnamon-spices applets/commit/7ef7c0250dd5e282fc1fa0e133b7076c11ce7e0d
Anton Voloshchuk
Anton Voloshchuk-2 years ago
https://github.com/glkclass/cinnamon-spices applets/commit/7ef7c0250dd5e282fc1fa0e133b7076c11ce7e0d
Anton Voloshchuk
Anton Voloshchuk-2 years ago
Agree. The tool is the best pomodoro timer I tried. But there is a lack of 'screen blocking setting' after work time has been finished. The similar feature exists for 'rest time finished' and it would be great to add it 'work time finished' as well. Not to miss time for rest )
BoringMuffin
BoringMuffin-2 years ago
Hi I find the tool great, only I hear no warning tone although I have reingemacht an mp3 file at "file for warning tone". sox I have installed and the Tiktak sound also works. Sorry for my English. Please help me
Vishal Dongre
Vishal Dongre-3 years ago
Hi gfreeau, I really love this applet. Only one suggestion, can we add keybinding for various options ? Also one more thing you are awesome.
Alexander Reflector
I would like the program to keep statistics on finished tomatoes. I saw such a function in the firefox plugin. :)
StoicIndividual
StoicIndividual-4 years ago
this is a small thing but, can it come with some built in sound?
StoicIndividual
StoicIndividual-4 years ago
nevermind my bad
ven-u
ven-u-4 years ago
I really love this applet. I would like to know if there is some way to cause it to start running automatically at boot time, instead of having to (remember to) start it from the panel. Like start it using a script that could be called from crontab or <startup applications>. Thanks, -Sadhu
manoelsslima
manoelsslima-4 years ago
After an upgrade from Linux Mint 19.3 to Linux Mint 20, the applet stopped working. I realized that the alias "python" wasn't pointing to any version of python. So I installed the package "python-is-python3" and Pomodoro Timer was back! So just run the command in terminal: $ sudo apt-get install python-is-python3 Remove and add your applet again. It should work now.
jeangs99
jeangs99-4 years ago
Valeu!
Alekzsss
Alekzsss-4 years ago
thanx a lot :)
philardine
philardine-4 years ago
Hi all! Linux Mint 20.04 just installed, I want to try this applet (seems awfull). Sadly cannot manage to make it run. LookingGlass log says : command python doesn't exist. In my case, the solution was "apt-get install python-is-python2" and it worked like a charm. Hope it will help others... Thnx for your applet :-)
Tom
Tom-4 years ago
I'm also disappointed that Pomodoro doesn't work on Mint 20. I've found it very useful in the past - any chance of an update? Thanks!
Arsen Poghosyan
Arsen Poghosyan-4 years ago
Unfortunately, the applet is not loading on Linux Mint 20.
henshu70
henshu70-4 years ago
Very nice tool. Would it be a big trouble to publish it also as a plasmoid?
Titanio Verde
Titanio Verde-4 years ago
Nice tool so far! A way to save some clicks would be to immediately close the menu when clicking Pomodoro Timer (to start). It could be an option.
andlpd
andlpd-5 years ago
For anyone having trouble with the sounds not playing: - the extension uses the "play" command, available through the "sox" package (sudo apt install sox) - it works (at least) with .ogg and .wav files
Dmitry
Dmitry-3 years ago
Thank you. Another troubles i found: - It supports only english symbols, file name and dir - It does not support spaces in dir and filename
ManraD445
ManraD445-5 years ago
what extension of sound use?
Butterfly
Butterfly-6 years ago
Hi, could you add keyboard shortcut for start, pause and reset.
Sree Gowtham Josyula
Nice App for good productivity.
2dxb
2dxb-6 years ago
Do something for work in vertical-panel mode.
didierCH
didierCH-6 years ago
Awesome! Thank you very much for this applet!
Jerimiah Gentry
Jerimiah Gentry-7 years ago
Beautiful, low profile and simple, although I can't figure out how to make the sounds louder. I added sounds from /usr/share/sounds/ubnutu/ringtones because I wanted more obvious sounds but I can barely hear them and tend to miss my breaks. Will continue to troubleshoot.
Florian Kelbert
Florian Kelbert-7 years ago
Hi there, I love the applet. I boosted my productivity a lot. I do have a small feature request: While I would love to see the remaining time in the panel, the ticking seconds made me kind of nervous. Idea: Provide an option "Show remaining seconds in panel: Yes/No" The corresponding code in applet.js could then look something like this: if (this._opt_showTimerInPanel) { timerText += " \u00B7 "; // Separator if (this._opt_showSecondsInPanel) { timerText += "d:d".format(Math.abs(minutes), Math.abs(seconds)); } else { if (Math.abs(minutes) == 0) { timerText += "ds".format(Math.abs(seconds)); } else { timerText += "dm".format(Math.abs(minutes)); } } }
Roman M. Yagodin
Roman M. Yagodin-7 years ago
2017-06-07 version: - Pomodoro icon is too close to the counter - need a little gap between them. - Looks like only full sequences counted, not single 25m work periods. - I would like to have an option to disable display the counter of pomodoros. - Messages could be more clear. - Need separate icon for non-active timer (e.g. white one).
Amir Adar
Amir Adar-7 years ago
Using Mint-Y as my theme, I cannot see the numbers above the different duration sliders in the settings. This makes me unsure of what the configuration is, or how to modify it.