Progressive Pomodoro timer with sets that grow
Progressive Pomodoro makes each focus set a little longer than the one before. In Dabadoro, progressive focus, in beta, starts each cycle at your Focus length and adds a step to every set, 5 minutes by default, up to a maximum of 50. Breaks keep their lengths, and the count starts again after the long break.
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Progressive focus as the app sets it up.
- Focus
- 25 min
- Step
- 5 min
- Maximum
- 50 min
Sets of 25, 30, 35 and 40 minutes, with a 5 minute break after each of the first three and a 15 minute break after the fourth. Then set 1 runs 25 minutes again.
- Focus in one cycle
- 2 h 10 min
- With breaks
- 2 h 40 min
- Longest set
- 40 min
How each set grows
Dabadoro works out every set from three values you choose: Focus, Step and Maximum.
It starts at your Focus length
The first set of each cycle runs at your Focus length, 25 minutes by default.
Each set adds the step
Every later set runs the Step longer, up to the Maximum. With the defaults: 25, 30, 35 and 40 minutes.
It starts again after the long break
After every fourth set the count goes back to set 1, also when you skip the long break.
Breaks keep their lengths
Short breaks stay at 5 minutes and the long break at 15, or the lengths you set.
The floating timer counts down the same set length while you work in another window.
Turn on progressive focus
It is a section of the timer settings, marked Beta, and it is off until you switch it on.
- Open the timer settings
Press the gear at the foot of the focus timer panel. The timer must be in Pomodoro mode.
- Switch on Progressive focus
Set the Step, 1 to 30 minutes, and the Maximum, up to 120. Keep the Maximum above your Focus length.
- Press Save
The next set uses the new lengths, and the Focus tab shows how long it runs.
Progressive vs classic Pomodoro
A classic timer repeats one length. Progressive focus grows the sets, so one cycle holds more focus time.
| Dabadoro | A classic Pomodoro timer | |
|---|---|---|
| Set length | Grows by the step each set, from your Focus length up to the maximum. | The same every set, 25 minutes by default. |
| Focus in one cycle of 4 sets | 2 h 10 min with the defaults: sets of 25, 30, 35 and 40 minutes. | 1 h 40 min: 4 sets of 25 minutes. |
| Breaks | Keep their lengths: 5 minutes, and 15 after every fourth set. | 5 minutes, and 15 after every fourth set. |
| After the long break | Starts again at your Focus length. | Carries on at 25 minutes. |
Who it suits
Three ways people set it up, and where progressive focus stops.
A student before exams
Keeps the defaults: sets of 25, 30, 35 and 40 minutes, then the long break, then 25 again.
A writer with long drafts
Sets Focus 30, Step 10 and Maximum 60, so the last set of each cycle runs 60 minutes.
Someone getting back into it
Begins at Focus 15 with a Maximum of 30, and raises the Focus length once a whole cycle feels easy.
Where it helps
- The first set of each cycle is the shortest, so a cycle starts small.
- You choose the step, from 1 to 30 minutes, and the maximum, up to 120.
- The timer and the floating timer show the length of the set in progress.
Where it does not
- Progressive focus is in beta.
- The step is fixed. Dabadoro does not change it from how focused you feel.
- Breaks do not grow with the sets.
- It is in the desktop app. The web timer runs sets of one length.
Questions about progressive Pomodoro
What is progressive Pomodoro?
A Pomodoro routine in which each focus set runs a little longer than the one before, instead of repeating one length. Dabadoro calls it progressive focus. It is in beta.
How does Dabadoro work out the length of each set?
The first set after a long break runs at your Focus length. Each later set adds the Step, up to the Maximum. With the defaults the sets run 25, 30, 35 and 40 minutes.
Do the breaks get longer too?
No. Short and long breaks keep the lengths you set, 5 and 15 minutes by default.
What happens after the long break, or if I skip it?
The count starts again at your Focus length after every fourth set, also when you skip the long break.
Why do all my sets stay the same length?
Check that Progressive focus is on, that the Maximum is above the Focus length, and that the timer is in Pomodoro mode. See progressive focus.
Do my sets keep growing when I switch tasks?
Not by default: each activity counts its own sets, so a new task starts at your Focus length. Turn on Global set counter, in the Cycle section of the timer settings, to count sets across all activities and days.
Does the free web timer have progressive Pomodoro?
No. The web timer runs sets of one length. Progressive focus is in the desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Is it free?
Yes, for now. Progressive focus is a Pro feature, open to everyone while plans are not on sale.