ADHD Visual Timer

Time you can see. The colour is how much you have left — no numbers to read, no maths to do, nothing to remember.

Visual countdown dial showing remaining time as a shrinking coloured wedge
minutes

The timer runs entirely in your browser — what you type here is never transmitted · keeps counting in a background tab · ads & cookies

B
Bryan Has ADHD · Founder of Planned Enough. Built this because every digital timer he tried required remembering what the number said last time. About the author

Why a visual timer works when a digital one doesn't

If you have ADHD, you have probably been told to "just set a timer" — and found that it didn't help much. That is not a failure of discipline. It's that a digital countdown asks your brain to do the exact things ADHD makes harder.

Digital timer — 4 steps

  1. Notice the timer exists
  2. Read the number
  3. Recall what it said last time
  4. Calculate the difference

Visual timer — 1 step

  1. Glance at how much colour is left

Steps 3 and 4 are working memory and mental arithmetic. ADHD working memory is precisely the system that struggles to hold "it said 18 minutes" while you're absorbed in something else. So the digital timer quietly stops being information and becomes decoration.

A shrinking disc removes both steps. The remaining time is a physical quantity you perceive spatially, in one glance, with nothing to hold in memory. This is the same reason an analogue clock beats a digital one for time blindness: space is easier for the brain to read than number.

Four ways to use it

5 min

Break the freeze

When a task feels impossible to begin, five minutes is small enough that your brain will allow it. You're not committing to the task, only to five minutes. Most of the time you keep going — but the deal is real, and you can stop.

10 min

Transition warning

Set it ten minutes before you need to leave or switch. The problem is rarely the leaving — it's that the moment arrives with no warning. A visible countdown means the transition stops being a surprise.

25 min

Task sprint

Long enough to get somewhere, short enough not to feel like a life sentence. The visible deadline also manufactures a bit of urgency, which is what an ADHD brain often needs to engage at all.

45 min

Hyperfocus check

Hyperfocus removes time cues completely — one hour and five feel identical from the inside. A recurring timer won't break the focus, but it does tell you how long you've actually been gone.

Frequently asked questions

What is a time blindness timer?
A time blindness timer shows remaining time as a shrinking visual quantity rather than a number you have to read and interpret. For ADHD brains, which struggle to sense time passing internally, seeing time physically disappear is far more effective than a digital countdown. The colour on the disc is the time you have left.
Why do visual timers work better for ADHD?
A digital clock requires you to read a number, remember what it was last time you looked, and calculate the difference. That's working memory and mental arithmetic — two things ADHD makes harder. A visual timer removes both steps: you perceive the remaining time spatially in a glance, with no calculation and nothing to remember.
How long should I set an ADHD timer for?
Shorter than feels necessary. Ten to twenty-five minutes works for most tasks — long enough to make progress, short enough that starting doesn't feel like a commitment. If a task feels impossible to begin, set five minutes. Lowering the activation threshold matters more than the length of the session.
Does this timer work if I switch browser tabs?
Yes. The countdown continues in the background and the remaining time appears in the browser tab title, so you can see it without switching back. It's based on real elapsed clock time, so it stays accurate even if the browser throttles the tab.
Is this timer free and does it need an account?
Completely free — no account and no signup. The timer itself is fully local: the task name and duration you enter are never transmitted, and your last-used duration is saved only in your own browser. To be straight with you though — this page does serve Google AdSense like the rest of the site, and Google may set advertising cookies. The privacy policy explains exactly what that means and how to opt out of personalised ads.

Related reading

A planner built on the same idea

The ADHD Daily Planner uses time anchors and short sprints instead of minute-by-minute scheduling — the paper version of what this timer does on screen.

See the ADHD Daily Planner →

⚕️ Medical disclaimer

This is a practical tool, not medical advice. Having ADHD is not a clinical qualification — Bryan is not a physician or licensed clinician. If you suspect you have ADHD or are struggling significantly with symptoms, speak to a doctor or therapist who specialises in ADHD. See our editorial standards and full disclaimer.