Pomodoro Technique Calculator (sessions, breaks & finish time)

Understanding the Pomodoro technique planner — concept and principle

This calculator plans a Pomodoro work session: how many pomodoros you need for a given amount of focused work, how many short and long breaks fall between them, the total time and the finish time. Students and knowledge workers use it to plan a study day or a block of deep work.

Focus blocks and breaks: with the default inputs the result is 5 h 25 min (start 09:00 → finish 14:25).

How it is calculated

Pomodoros n = ⌈work minutes ÷ pomodoro length⌉ (a pomodoro cannot be split).
Breaks between pomodoros = n − 1; long breaks = ⌊(n − 1) ÷ set size⌋; short breaks = the rest.
No break is counted after the last pomodoro.
Total = n × length + short breaks × short + long breaks × long; finish = start + total.

The principle

Francesco Cirillo's Pomodoro Technique uses uninterrupted work blocks of 25 minutes, each followed by a short break of 3–5 minutes, with a longer break of 15–30 minutes after every set of four. Short fixed blocks make it easier to start and to resist interruptions, and regular breaks help maintain focus over a long day. Because a pomodoro is treated as indivisible, the work time is rounded up to whole pomodoros, which is why the focused time can slightly exceed what you asked for.

Worked example

Default inputs: 4 hours of work, 25-minute pomodoros, 5-minute short and 20-minute long breaks, long break after 4, start 09:00.

Pomodoros = ⌈240 ÷ 25⌉ = ⌈9.6⌉ = 10; focused time = 250 min = 4 h 10 min.
Breaks = 9: long = ⌊9 ÷ 4⌋ = 2, short = 7.
Break time = 7 × 5 + 2 × 20 = 75 min = 1 h 15 min.
Total = 250 + 75 = 325 min = 5 h 25 min; finish = 14:25; complete sets = 2.

Each point is the calculator re-run with only “Length of one pomodoro (minutes)” changed; the gold point is the default example. Change the inputs above and this chart follows your numbers.

Length of one pomodoro (minutes)	Pomodoros needed
6.25	39
12.5	20
18.8	13
25	10
31.2	8
37.5	7
50	5

How to read the result

The plan shows that 4 hours of focused work takes about 5½ hours of clock time with breaks, a useful reality check when planning a day. Add a lunch break separately. If you are often interrupted, plan fewer pomodoros than your available hours suggest.

Common mistakes

Skipping breaks to finish sooner, which tends to reduce focus later.
Counting partial pomodoros as complete.
Planning more pomodoros than you can realistically sustain.
Forgetting meals and meetings in the schedule.

Keep in mind: Timings are a guide; adjust pomodoro and break lengths to suit your work and wellbeing.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a pomodoro?

25 minutes in Cirillo's original technique, followed by a short break.

How many pomodoros make 4 hours?

10 pomodoros of 25 minutes, because 9.6 is rounded up.

When do I take a long break?

After every four pomodoros, for 15–30 minutes.

Sources: F. Cirillo, The Pomodoro Technique (Currency/Penguin Random House, 2018; first published 2006)

Checked 9 Nov 2026. Francesco Cirillo, The Pomodoro Technique (Currency/Penguin Random House, 2018; first published 2006): 25-minute pomodoros, 3–5 minute breaks, a 15–30 minute break after every four pomodoros; a pomodoro is indivisible.

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