52/17 timer
52 min focus, 17 min break, then a 17 min long break after 4 sessions. 4 hr 36 min total.
Space start/pause R reset Esc stop
Focus sessions completed: 0
Settings
52 min focus, 17 min break, then a 17 min long break after 4 sessions. 4 hr 36 min total.
01
What this one is for
The 52/17 timer comes from a 2014 write-up by DeskTime, a time-tracking company that looked at the logged activity of the most productive 10 percent of its users and reported that they averaged about 52 minutes of work followed by about 17 minutes away. It was an observation in one company’s usage data, not a controlled study, and the numbers are an average rather than a discovered optimum.
That is worth saying plainly, because the ratio gets repeated as if it were a finding about human attention. What it does tell you is that people who get a lot done took substantial breaks, which is the useful half of the claim and the part most schedules ignore.
As a working rhythm it is generous and it holds up. Fifty-two minutes is a long enough block for real work, and seventeen minutes is enough to eat something, walk outside or have an actual conversation instead of half a one. This preset runs four sessions before offering another seventeen, so the day has no special long break: every break is the long break.
02
Good for
- A default work rhythm for a full day at a desk
- Anyone who keeps skipping five-minute breaks as pointless
- Pairing work blocks with real meal or walk breaks
- Admin-heavy days that still need protected focus
03
How it runs
52 min focus, 17 min break, then a 17 min long break after 4 sessions. 4 hr 36 min total. Press Start, or hit Space. The digits turn green while a work block runs and grey on rest.
Sound is on by default: a rising pair for work, a falling pair for rest, a tick for the last three seconds and a three-note finish. Mute with the speaker button. The screen stays on while the timer runs and the tab title shows the time left.
Change anything in Settings under the timer. The last setup you used on this page is remembered in your browser.
Questions people ask
- Where do the numbers 52 and 17 come from?
- From DeskTime’s 2014 analysis of its own users’ tracked computer activity, reporting the average work and break lengths of its top 10 percent. Treat it as a description of what productive users happened to do, not as a tested prescription.
- Why is the long break also 17 minutes?
- Because the rhythm does not have a long break in it. Every break in the original description is a proper one, so this preset keeps them all the same length. Change the long break in the settings if you want a bigger gap after four sessions.
- Is it better than 25/5?
- Neither has good evidence behind the exact numbers. Longer blocks suit work with a slow start; shorter blocks suit work you struggle to begin. Try both for a week and keep the one you actually stick to.
- Does anything get saved?
- Only in your browser. Adjusted values and any preset you save stay on the device, there is no account, and after the first visit the page works offline.