A 40 minute timer you can see
Forty minutes is the length of a school period in many schools, and a solid block for one piece of study or a workout.
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 40 minutes are good for
- One class period or a home-school lesson.
- A workout or a long walk.
- A study block on one subject, followed by a real break.
- Baking a cake or a tray of something in the oven.
One tip
Forty minutes is long enough to lose track of time. Write the one task above the disk and glance at it when you feel yourself drifting. The amber last minute tells you to wrap up.
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 "40 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 40 minute timer
Is 40 minutes a good study block?
For many teenagers and adults, yes, followed by a 5 to 10 minute break. If 40 minutes is hard to start, begin with 20 and build up.
Can I use this as a lesson timer in class?
Yes. Open it on the classroom screen and tap Full screen. For shorter classroom countdowns, try the classroom timer.
Is this 40 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 40 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.