The 25/5 rhythm is the simplest way to work in blocks: 25 minutes of focus, then a 5-minute break. After every fourth focus, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. The rhythm comes from a time-management method Francesco Cirillo developed as a student in the late 1980s, and it has since become the default in most focus timers.
How it works
- Pick one task. Write it down. One task, not a list.
- Focus for 25 minutes. Work only on that task until the timer ends.
- Take a 5-minute break. Stand up and step away from the screen.
- Repeat. After the fourth focus, take a long break of 15 to 30 minutes, then start a new set of four.
The rules that make it work
The timer is the easy part. A few rules give the rhythm its effect:
- A focus is indivisible. There are no half sessions. If you stop partway, that session doesn’t count; start a fresh one.
- Interruptions wait. When something comes up, note it and come back to it in the break. If it truly cannot wait, cancel the session.
- Breaks are breaks. Messages and news keep your head in work mode. Something physical and screen-free works better. See screen-free break ideas.
- Count what you finish. Counting completed sessions per task shows you how long things really take, which makes the next plan more honest.
Why 25 minutes?
Twenty-five minutes is short enough to start even a task you have been avoiding, and long enough to make real progress. The frequent breaks mean you stop before you are depleted, rather than after.
What the studies found
Research on fixed break rhythms is young, and the results do not all point the same way.
- Biwer and colleagues (2023) found that students with fixed short breaks reported less fatigue and distraction and more motivation than students who took breaks whenever they chose. How much work they completed did not differ.
- Smits, Wenzel and de Bruin (2025) found that fatigue rose faster with fixed 25/5 blocks than with self-chosen breaks, again with no difference in productivity.
Take the rhythm as a structure that helps you start and stop, not as a formula. If 25 minutes keeps cutting you off mid-thought, lengthen it. Choosing a focus rhythm compares the alternatives.
When 25/5 is not the right fit
- Deep, slow-loading work. Writing code or long documents can take ten minutes to get into. Try 50/10, or extend the session when you are in flow.
- Meetings and calls. A rhythm does not apply to time someone else controls. Use it for the work in between.
- When you are already in flow. Stopping for the sake of the timer can cost more than it gives. Extend instead, and take a longer break after. Flowtime takes this idea further.
Running 25/5 on a Mac
Tomette is a focus timer that lives in the Mac menu bar, and 25 · 5 · 15 is its default. Breaks start on their own, and the next focus waits until you are back. Only a focus that runs to zero counts; pausing keeps it, and cancelling or restarting voids it. Name the task you are working on and Tomette counts the focus sessions it takes. When you are in flow, add five minutes instead of the break.