# What is the Pomodoro technique? > The Pomodoro technique splits work into timed focus blocks with short breaks. Learn the basic pattern and how a Mac timer in the notch tracks it. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/pomodoro/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. The Pomodoro technique is a way to work in short, timed blocks. It was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. You focus for a fixed time, typically 25 minutes, take a short break, and repeat. After four blocks you take a longer rest. A Pomodoro timer is the clock that runs those blocks for you. ## Why it matters A timer turns "work on this for a while" into a clear start and a clear stop. People use it to begin tasks they keep putting off, and to remember to look up from the screen. ## How the NotchStar timer works The Timers tool has a Timer, a Stopwatch and a Pomodoro mode. In Pomodoro, the ring fills over each focus block, a label tells you whether you are in a focus phase or a break phase, and four dots track the sessions in a cycle. The default is a 25 minute focus block and a 5 minute break. The presets are 25 and 5, 50 and 10, and 15 and 3 minutes. The timer keeps counting while the notch is closed, so you can start it, close the panel and carry on. ## Limits NotchStar is not a task manager. It tracks sessions in a cycle but does not tie them to projects. If you want that, use a separate tool alongside it. ## Related Read the [Pomodoro setup guide](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/pomodoro-timer-on-mac/) for tips, and [the Timers tool](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/) for the rest of the controls. The idea of a readout that stays visible while you work is covered under [live activity](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/live-activity/). ## Keep reading. - [Timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro in the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/): A timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro with session tracking, always one hover away in the Mac notch. It keeps counting while the notch is closed. - [How to run a Pomodoro timer on your Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/pomodoro-timer-on-mac/): The Pomodoro technique in practice: block lengths, breaks, what to do when you get interrupted, and how to run it from the Mac notch. - [What is a notch app?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/notch-app/): A notch app is a Mac utility that puts a small panel of tools around the MacBook notch. Learn what it does and what it cannot do. - [What is a live activity?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/live-activity/): A live activity is a small readout of something happening right now, such as a timer or a song. Learn the iPhone meaning and how notch apps use the term. ## More in Notch and apps. - [What is a notch app?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/notch-app/): A notch app is a Mac utility that puts a small panel of tools around the MacBook notch. Learn what it does and what it cannot do. - [What is the Dynamic Island?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/dynamic-island/): The Dynamic Island is Apple's name for an interactive area at the top of the iPhone screen. Macs have a notch instead. Some notch apps imitate the effect. - [What is a live activity?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/live-activity/): A live activity is a small readout of something happening right now, such as a timer or a song. Learn the iPhone meaning and how notch apps use the term. - [What is a file shelf?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/file-shelf/): A file shelf is a temporary place to park files while you work, then drag them out or send them. Learn how it differs from a folder and from AirDrop. - [What is clipboard history?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/clipboard-history/): Clipboard history is a list of the things you recently copied, so you can paste an older item again. Learn how it works on a Mac and what to watch for. - [What is a teleprompter?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/teleprompter/): A teleprompter shows a scrolling script near the camera so you can read while looking at the lens. Learn how a notch teleprompter works on a Mac.