Focus
Short Break
Long Break
25:00
A free 45-minute timer, one tap to start. Forty-five minutes is a class-length block: the length of a lecture or lesson, and a long, focused stretch for serious study, exam practice, or close reading before you need a proper break.
Match your study block to the length of a class. Forty-five focused minutes followed by a real break mirrors how a good lesson and its breather work.
A timed, exam-length block builds the stamina and the sense of pacing you need on the day.
Long enough to read closely and take notes on a chapter or a paper without rushing or losing the thread.
A class-length revision block on one subject, then a genuine break to let it settle before the next.
Forty-five minutes is a long study block, near the top of what the research backs. Buzan's most generous estimate put the ideal study interval at up to 45 minutes[1]; tighter editions capped it nearer 40, so 45 sits right at the upper edge, long enough to get deep into a subject, just before the point where recall starts to slide. That is also why a real break afterwards matters: past about three quarters of an hour, the returns fall away.
Its other appeal is simply that it is a familiar length. A lecture or a class period is about 45 minutes, which makes it an intuitive, recognisable stretch to give to serious work. Treat it as a practical anchor rather than a measured optimum: if your attention fades before the bell, break earlier. It is your focus, not the clock, that decides.
After a 45-minute stretch you have done real work, so do not skimp on the break. The research puts a useful rest at a few minutes up to about ten for focused blocks[2]; after a class-length one, take the upper end, ten minutes or so, and step away properly, move, and rest your eyes before the next block.