Timer
Pomodoro, but you pick the length
Timed blocks help. Rigid 25-minute blocks don't always.
The Pomodoro Technique is solid: work for a bit, stop on purpose, reset. Where it breaks for a lot of ADHD folks is the assumption that 25 minutes is the right bit for every day, every task.
Some days you need twelve minutes because initiation is the hard part. Some days you're already in flow at minute thirty-five and the standard timer feels like someone yanking the steering wheel.
And if the timer isn't connected to a real task, you finish a "pomodoro" and still think: okay, but what was I doing?
What we do differently
You choose the duration when you start. No sermon about the One True Length. The timer sits next to your Live tasks so the block has a name, not just a number.
When it ends, you can take a break, extend if you're rolling, or call it. The goal is a clear stop line, not a perfect streak on a habit tracker.
Two honest blocks beat six that you "planned" and never started.
A routine that doesn't require perfection
If you only get one block in, that's still a win. The timer is there to make starting cheaper, not to score you.
- One task in Live, not five
- Timer length you'd actually agree to out loud ("yeah, I can do fifteen")
- Phone in another room if you can swing it
- Stop when it rings, even mid-sentence is fine
Questions
So 25 minutes is wrong?
It's fine if it fits. Use whatever you'll start. The technique is the boundary, not the number.
Can I run the timer without tasks?
Sure, but naming the block ("finish intro slide") cuts the mid-session drift.