A 4 minute timer you can see
Four minutes is a short, complete block: long enough to finish one small thing, short enough that nobody argues about starting.
This is a visual timer. The time is a blue disk that shrinks as the minutes pass: more disk, more time. You can read it in one glance from across a room, with no numbers to work out. The last minute turns amber, and the end is one soft chime.
What 4 minutes are good for
- A Tabata round: 20 seconds of effort, 10 seconds of rest, eight times, which comes to exactly four minutes.
- Steeping black tea, which usually takes three to five minutes.
- A four-minute shower that ends before the hot water does.
- Packing a school bag or tidying a desk before the next lesson.
One tip
Four minutes is a good "I will do it now" promise for a job you keep postponing. Start the timer before you think about it too much. When the disk is gone you may stop, and often you will not want to.
Other timer lengths
1 min · 2 min · 3 min · 4 min · 5 min · 7 min · 8 min · 10 min · 15 min · 20 min · 25 min · 30 min · 40 min · 45 min · 60 min · 90 min · Classroom timer
Need a different length? Type any number of minutes from 1 to 180 in the Custom box, or open the main visual timer, which remembers the length you used last. For work and break cycles that run themselves, use the pomodoro timer.
Why a shape works better than numbers
Numbers only help if you can feel what "4 minutes" is like. For many children, and for many people with ADHD, that feeling is unreliable. This is often called time blindness. A disk that shrinks turns time into something you can see, so nobody has to guess. More in our guide to visual timers.
Questions about the 4 minute timer
Is a Tabata workout really four minutes?
Yes. The classic Tabata format is eight rounds of 20 seconds of hard effort and 10 seconds of rest, which adds up to four minutes. Check with a doctor before starting hard exercise.
How long should tea steep?
It depends on the tea and your taste. Black tea is often steeped for three to five minutes, green tea for less. Four minutes is a common middle point.
Is this 4 minute timer free?
Yes. It is free, with no signup and no account. It runs in your browser on a phone, tablet, laptop or classroom screen.
Does the 4 minute timer make a loud alarm?
No. It plays one soft chime at the end and the disk turns amber, not red. You can switch the sound off with the bell button.