This Visual Timer Helps Me Get My Tasks Done

When I’m faced with any task that I suspect will take me longer than a few minutes to complete — folding the laundry, emptying the dishwasher, writing this very lede — I have a hard time getting started.

Drumming up the motivation to propel myself into motion is often the hardest part. Rationally, I know that whatever it is I have to do won’t actually take that long, but the part of my brain responsible for my executive functioning skills doesn’t always get the memo. So when a deadline is looming, but beginning a task feels insurmountable, I reach for my visual timer.

Compact, battery-powered, and available in pastel hues, this productivity tool can help you effectively manage your time.

After I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, I set out to find tools that could better help me navigate the terrain of my neurodivergent brain. Visual timers offer an in-your-face representation of the passage of time, and for the past two years, I’ve been using the Time Timer Home MOD almost daily. It features a bold, colored disk that gradually shrinks as the minutes count down.

Physically twisting the dial on the timer helps me shift my mindset. I find it’s a lot easier to focus when I can see the time I’m wasting right in front of me. And once I do finally start a task, I usually find that whatever it is I’ve been putting off doesn’t take me as long to complete as I thought it would.

Every so often, however, the task at hand proves to be just as time-consuming or complicated as I’d suspected. In these moments, my visual timer is especially helpful; whenever I feel myself losing focus, I look to it for motivation. Whether I have five minutes or half an hour left, that visual cue is usually enough to propel me back into action.

Sometimes, I even work harder to finish whatever it is I’m doing before the timer elapses. There’s no thrill quite like beating the clock.

Though any timer that shows a visual representation of time elapsing could work, I’m particularly fond of the Time Timer Home MOD. I first discovered it while scrolling on TikTok, and I was immediately drawn to its mid-century modern look and soft-pastel color palette.

Time Timer offers several different models in a wide range of designs, colors, and sizes (all of which rely on the same intuitive visual-countdown system). I like the MOD because it has a sleek design, so it feels like a thoughtful piece of decor rather than just a utilitarian productivity tool.

I also like that it’s small, compact, and powered by a single AA battery (not included), so it’s easy to carry from room to room while I tackle chores. And on the days I go to coffee shops or the library to write, I can bring it with me. The timer has an optional audible alarm, which I usually leave off because the shrill beep can be a bit jarring.

The MOD timer doesn’t fix all of my problems, but it has certainly helped. When my to-do list feels overwhelming, and getting started is the hardest part, setting the timer for even five minutes is often the thing that gets me out of my head and nudges me into action.

This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Catherine Kast.