Archive for ‘Psychological’ Category

Meet Your Organizing Elves: The Pros Who Help Get Your Life in Order

Posted on: December 15th, 2025 by Julie Bestry | 10 Comments

Recently, at the end of a session, my client joked that I was her own Santa’s elf. We laughed, but her description is not that far from the truth.

YOU AND SANTA BOTH NEED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT

Santa’s elves (and Mrs. Claus and the reindeer, of course) help keep Santa from becoming overwhelmed. After all, Santa is basically running a multi-national corporation.

Certainly, he has to control the means of production for his factory. Can you imagine how much paperwork (and how many computer files) it takes to source, order, acquire, and unpack the resources before the toyshop starts making the toys?

But our friend Kris Kringle also manages a customer base of upward of two billion children (the current number of the world’s newborns through fourteen-year-olds), not even counting all the people for whom the magic of the holidays involves believing in Santa. I’m sure, at some point in the late 20th-century, Santa had to learn how to manage a computer database and CRM system to keep straight not only who was on the nice vs. naughty lists, but track them as their behavior meandered from one to the other and back again. 

Due to non-compete clauses, nobody’s ever ascertained whether Santa has only one sleigh or a huge fleet with one for each of the 24 time zones to which he delivers. Nonetheless, keeping up with the vehicle maintenance and registration requirements in 195 nations must be quite the task! 

 
Time management is a huge headache, too. Not only do those requests for toys and bikes and little red wagons (and all the modern digital doodads) need to be filled, wrapped, and packed onto the sleigh, but timing all of these deliveries in one night, with no respite for bad weather or reindeer infighting, has to be wearying.

It’s a good thing Santa has his elves. 

My clients often feel the same oppressive weights upon them, even if they don’t necessarily have the same international fame as the guy in the big red suit. Whether you need to deal with organizing and productivity pitfalls at home or at work, in your computer or your kitchen, your closet or your warehouse, there are professionals who can give you support.

Perhaps between preparing for Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, entertaining company, trying to make headway on languishing projects with end-of-year deadlines, and figuring out how to make space for everything coming in (to your home, to your schedule, and to your life), you have realized that you could use a little elf-like magic as you go into next year.

Today’s post is a chance for you to get to know all of the organizational (and organizing-adjacent) experts who can help you reduce overwhelm, coach your decision-making, and bring subject-matter expertise to help you overcome obstacles (whether tangible, temporal, or cognitive) so you can be your best self.

(Heh. Maybe that should be my holiday marketing campaign: I’ll be my best elf so you can be your best self.)

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZERS AND PRODUCTIVITY SPECIALISTS

We professional organizers and productivity gurus didn’t all start out and orderly elves. Paper Doll was a television executive. Many, many of my colleagues were teachers. Some were attorneys, social workers, hoteliers, accountants, designers, and so many other types of professionals.

Sometimes, we felt like we were on the Island of Misfit Toys, but almost as if by holiday magic, we all found where we truly belong. And yes, we know that not all elves are always so lucky to find their fit right away.

 

NAPO

Longtime readers of Paper Doll are already familiar with the concept of professional organizers, but many people are surprised by the variety of services we provide.

If you think a professional organizer is just about moving the stuff around, I’ve got a surprise for you. As I tell my clients, “Housekeeping is about the stuff; professional organizing is about the person who owns (and uses, and maintains) the stuff.”

Housekeeping is about the stuff; professional organizing is about the person who owns (and uses, and maintains) the stuff. Share on X

Among the professionals in the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO), there are plenty of generalists. In just the past few weeks, I’ve:

  • helped a client pare down a collection of family photos and slides ranging from the late 1800s to the 1970s
  • organized holiday charitable requests, identified the client’s philanthropic priorities, and oversaw the donation process
  • supported a client with cognitive decline to maintain daily productivity
  • decluttered and downsized: cleaning supplies in kitchen cabinets, books and décor from bookshelves, a wardrobe that largely no longer served a client’s physique or style, and more
  • assisted clients in accessing funds by searching for unclaimed property, organizing supporting documentation for class action suits, and submitting claims for health insurance
  • reworked a client’s overly-ambitious December schedule so that she actually had time to enjoy the holidays. 
  

Although I do specialize in paper and information management and productivity coaching, my in-person clients seek my help for solving all manner of organizing-related mysteries and kerfuffles in their lives, and it’s the same for my colleagues.

Some professional organizers specialize in particular types of clients:

  • people with chronic disorganization or hoarding disorders
  • individuals with brain-based conditions ranging from ADHD and autism to traumatic brain injuries to dementia
  • people with physical disabilities
  • seniors
  • new parents
  • children
  • older students
  • solopreneurs and small business professionals

Others in our field focus on particular types of spaces for downsizing, clutter control, and organizing in:

  • kitchens
  • closets
  • living spaces (main and guest bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms)
  • home offices
  • playrooms
  • basements
  • attics
  • storage units
  • work spaces (like professional kitchens, law offices, physicians offices, science labs, theaters, etc.)

We also specialist in particularly kinds of services that cross the “who” and “where” categories, like:

  • time management coaching
  • paper management
  • digital organizing
  • organizing and managing photographs and memorabilia
  • financial organizing, including bill-paying, budgeting assistance, and bookkeeping
  • estate management
  • medical history management
  • household management
  • eco-organizing
  • home inventorying 
  • home staging
  • yard/garage/estate sale management
  • packing and unpacking for moves
  • space planning and design

This doesn’t even begin to take into account the services some professional organizers provide to businesses, including: business automation, corporate operations, event planning, records management, technology training, and more.

Basically, are overwhelmed by it, exhausted by it, stymied by it? Do you “just” need someone to come in and do it (or teach you how to do it — or how to do it better)? If it takes less time and you can focus on what’s important to you — then organizing and productivity specialists can help.

To find a professional organizer, visit the NAPO directory directly, or navigate from NAPO’s front page to the Find a Pro menu at the top. Search geographically or within a radius from your zip code, pick the business and/or residential specialties in which you need assistance, and review the list of my colleagues provided.

And don’t forget, much of the work we do with and for our clients can be done virtually, so you can pick that option from the specialty drop-down if you’re open to getting help from afar.

NAPO members represent thousands of separate professionals, coming together to gain continuing education and support one another so that we can support our clients.

  
Certification, Certificates, and Skills

When the NAPO directory provides you with names to peruse, you may see some additional notes.

Certified Professional Organizers (CPOs) are those of us who have attained credentials reflecting specific standards. That originally included 1500 hours (now 1000 hours) of paid client-centric work prior to sitting for a comprehensive exam (among other requirements), adhering to the BCPO Code of Ethics for Certified Professional Organizers, and obtaining continuing education in a variety of subjects during a three-year certification period.

For more about certification, you can check out the “What is a Certified Professional Organizer” tab here on my website, including my article, In Checkbooks And Underwear Drawers: What Certified Professional Organizers Offer Our Clients.

Specialist Certificates — In addition to the deep and wide subject matter expertise needed for certification, NAPO members may also hold certificates in specialized subjects, including: 

  • Brain-based conditions
  • Household management
  • Life transitions

  • Move management and home staging
  • Residential Organizing
  • Team productivity
  • Work productivity

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Founded in 1990 by my colleague Judith Kolberg and originally called the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) has as its mission to provide organizing professionals and the public with education and helpful strategies, and conduct research, regarding chronic disorganization.

Membership in NAPO and subscribership in ICD often overlap, and professionals in our field may obtain a variety of ICD specialist certificates related to chronic disorganization, hoarding disorders, and other related conditions.

Other Organizing and Productivity Associations

There are helpful organizing elves everywhere!

Outside of the United States, there’s an ever-growing universe of organizing and productivity professionals.

For our colleagues to the north, Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) has a similar search engine to NAPO’s. At their Find An Organizer page, you can specify services areas and specialties as well as languages spoken. (You didn’t think Santa’s elves spoke only English, right?)

NAPO, ICD, and POC do not stand alone. We have colleagues around the world as part of the International Federation of Professional Organizing Associations, including:

Several times a month, I am asked by friends, former classmates, clients, and random acquaintances to provide referrals and recommendations for professional organizers to help people’s loved ones, whether across the continent or across the world. It’s heartening to know that I have colleagues in so many places, ready to help those who are seeking a little more space or serenity. 

OTHER ORGANIZING-RELATED PROFESSIONAL ELVES

In addition to ICD and POC, and the National Association of Black Professional Organizers (NABPO) referenced above, NAPO has other affiliate organizations.

Daily Money Managers

Santa has to deal with financial transactions in 180 different worldwide currencies. Your finances may not be so complex, but whatever your needs, whether to help Grandma keep up with her retirement investments or to just make sure the bills get paid on time, the American Association of Daily Money Managers (AADMM) has financial organizing professionals to assist you.

Daily Money Managers (DMM) offer a wide variety of personal financial services to individuals and families, and manages financial tasks including bill-paying and oversight, budgeting, and record keeping. Some serve as fiduciaries for clients who are incapacitated. 

Aging/Geriatric Care Professionals 

Santa and Mrs. C. aren’t exactly spring chickens, and like all of us, may someday need support.

The professionals in Aging Life Care Association (ALCA) specialize in aging and disability issues while ensuring client “safety, continuity, and dignity.” As experts in health and human services, they can assist and advocate for families caring for older adult relatives or individuals with disabilities. They can partner with professional organizers and senior move managers whenever clients and their families are going through major life transitions — whether they’re downsizing so family members can age in place or to help them relocate to other living situations. 

Photo Organizers

Many NAPO professional organizers are comfortable helping their clients organize their photos or find solutions for digitizing them. But The Photo Managers (formerly the Association of Personal Photo Organizers) use their passion for photo collections and personal storytelling to assist clients with culling, organizing, and digitizing photos, as well converting older media to newer formats and sharing pictures.

OTHER MONEY ELVES

Every year, I learn about new types of professionals who can help me help my clients overcome the obstacles that clutter their daily lives. These include:

Claims Assistance Professionals

As I discussed in Organize and Lower Your Medical Bills: Spot Errors, Negotiate Costs, and Save Money, there are a variety of medical billing specialists, medical cost advocates, and patient advocates. In addition, if you’re drowning in medical claim paperwork that makes no sense, or you’re getting the runaround from the insurance company, you may want to reach out to a claims assistance professionals through The Alliance of Claims Assistance Professionals.

Financial Advisors

Knowing what to do with your money can be confusing, and it’s scary to wonder whether the advice you’re being given is good for you, or just good for an advisor taking a percentage of what you earn.

Before considering hiring a financial advisor, talk to the elves in your life: your family members, friends, and colleagues who seem to handle their dollars with sense. I am neither a fiduciary nor a money maven, but I do recommend that if you’re seeking help with building your financial future, you should find a fee-only financial planner. That’s someone you pay a flat fee, rather than a percentage, to provide you with advice.

The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a great first start. You can also find Certified Financial Planners via the location search at PlannerSearch.org.  

Appraisers

A professional organizer can help you divide the wheat from the chaff when you’re figuring out what to donate and what to keep; we’ll hold your hands when we tell you that your collection of mini Beanie Babies you got at McDonalds will not fund your retirement. We may help you research the provenance and potential value of what you own. But no organizing professional is going to tell you for certain whether that piece of furniture or jewelry or coin collection is worth. For that, you need an appraiser. 

An art appraiser is not a stamp appraiser; fields of specialty range from wine to textiles, furniture to musical instruments, coins to fine art to books. Start with an accredited appraisal association like:

to find the experts that can help you understand the value of your property and make wise decisions regarding what to do with what you own.

Certified Divorce Financial Analyst 

Paper Doll hopes you never have to deal with a divorce (unless it’s something that will make your life better). However, I’ve worked with enough clients going through the divorce process to know that attorneys don’t have the bandwidth to deal with some of the intricacies of the financial situation.

Certified Divorce Financial Analysts are professionals who can help you figure out the complex financial aspects of your divorce. This may help you secure an equitable share of marital assets in order to plan your financial future. 

If you or someone you know needs support in this area, start with the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts. 

OTHER HOUSE ELVES

When you hear house elves, you probably think of Harry Potter. As a GenXer who grew up near Canada, I start daydreaming about house hippos.

But I digress.

In addition to the residential professional organizer services covered by NAPO and her sister organizations, there is some crossover into home relocation specialties.

Senior Move Managers  

The National Association of Senior and Specialty Move Managers is made up of relocation specialists. They’re focused on strategies for helping older adults (and their families) with the relocation process, including downsizing, as well as packing and unpacking, and assisting with logistics.

Home Stagers

In the olden days, when you wanted to sell your house, you hired a real estate agent. They told you to clean the house and pop a sheet of cookies in the oven to make things smell nice. Over the last few decades, however, home staging — literally staging your home to make it possible for prospective buyers to imagine themselves living there — has become a big deal.

Staging can involve removing objects that are overly personal or reflect particular belief systems, subtracting or adding furniture or décor to create a particular aesthetic, and generally working to show a house off in the best light.

As with senior move managers, you will likely find some crossover between NAPO/IFPOA professionals, but to find a home stager in your area, start with the Real Estate Staging Association and the America Society of Home Stagers and Redesigners.

Obviously, your organization and productivity needs are complicated, and by talking about elves, I am not entirely making light of anyone’s struggles.

Sometimes you just need a handy-person to help you lift and carry things to the attic or out to the curb; however, most of the time, a professional organizer or productivity specialist is the ideal person to guide you through the myriad decisions to make to move your life in the direction you want.

And when the real obstacles are not the things, but ourselves, and special services are needed, their are ADHD coaches, life coaches — even decision-making coaches — and mental health professionals!

Today’s post is a reminder that whatever is causing clutter in your space, your schedule, your finances, or your mind, you’re not alone. Reaching out to experts is a gift you can give a loved one — or yourself.

I suspect Santa would approve.

Paper Doll Plays Ice Cream Man: Cool Organizing and Productivity Treats for Hot Days

Posted on: July 7th, 2025 by Julie Bestry | 10 Comments

We’ve managed — perhaps with a few bumps and bruises to our productivity — to make it through one-half of the year.

Perhaps you’ve reached your goals or are on our way toward them. Maybe the temperatures and the general atmosphere in the world these days leaves you feeling indolent, and the last thing you want to think about today is striving toward yet another goal or completing another task. 

I get it.

We all deserve a little fun. So today’s post is like a Popsicle on a sweltering day. There are no systems for you to implement, and no heavy-duty academic research to study. Instead, just think of today’s Paper Doll post as the ice cream truck driving through your neighborhood to make your week a little sweeter and your mood a little lighter with some surprising treats.

MOD PROTECT

Earlier this year, I wrote a five-part series on using timers to help yourself be more productive. In case you missed it, feel free to read the links below to get caught up.

But again, this is an ice cream truck; just take what you find yummy.

In part 3 of the series, when we discussed tangible timers, I shared my love of the Time Timer MOD and all of its gorgeous styles, including the Time Timer Mod Home Edition,

the MOD Home Metallic Edition,

and the various durations of the MOD Education Editions.

I handle my devices pretty gingerly and rarely worry about bonking them on the ground, but not everyone lives in an almost-entirely carpeted (hello, late 1970s construction!) apartment. Some folks have kids, or spouses or co-workers who behave like kids, or pets who tend to knock things on the floor.

 

Time Timer understands the frustration that comes with rough-and-tumble living. While there are already pretty protective covers in a variety of styles to cuddle the Time Timer MOD editions, they’ve now come out out with a new super-protective line: two different “fun and functional” Time Timer MOD+ Protective Cases.

Both versions partner a whimsical personality and hardy protection with (what I think is already) the niftiness of Time Timers. 

Meet Bunny and Tread.

Time Timer MOD + Protect Case Bunny

Protect Case — Bunny is friendly and playful, and will appeal to little and big kids, alike. Whether you’re in kindergarten helping to develop little minds, working in various environments with with sensitive souls or neurodivergent brains, or just enjoy anything that adds something charming and fanciful to your workday and time management struggles, take a peek.

Why not serve up a fun-but-sturdy embrace for the visual time cues that keep kids and adults from staying time-blind?

Bunny is brightly colored, soft, and tailor-made for those who would prefer getting help transitioning between tasks, monitoring their own (or others’) screen time, or completing homework (or office work) from a sweet, gentle character rather than a garish, digital taskmaster. 

Say hi to Bunny. (Hi, Bunny!)

Bunny measures 5.1″ high x 4.1″ wide by 2.4″ deep. The soft, removable case is made of light blue silicone, and, as you can see above, faintly bunny-shaped, creating a playful touch to surround the Time Timer MOD. 

Time Timer has tested the Bunny Protect Case’s drop protection to 5 feet. So, whether you’re using it in an academic or play setting where tiny humans may drop or throw the Time Timer MOD, or you or your co-workers or family members take time-based stresses out on small, (mostly) inanimate objects, the Protect Case -— Bunny can handle it.

The Bunny’s soft silicone makes it easy for tiny hands to grip without slippage, so there’s no need to worry that your MOD investment will be lost in a smash-pow-kerplunk moment! Parents, teachers, therapists, colleagues, and tiny humans should all be delighted by the protective nature and cute appearance of the bunny.

On it’s own, the Protect Case — Bunny is $14.95 at the Time Timer website.

Additionally, you can purchase the Time Timer Rainbow Wheel MOD + Protect Case Bunny bundle for 39.95.

Time Timer notes the combined MOD and Bunny protective case bundle is:

  • Focused on Time Awareness — As discussed at length in my blog post series on timers, an analog approach to time helps make time visible and “real” to children and others with a less-than-concrete feel for the flow of time. The Time Timer Rainbow Wheel MOD’s rainbow-colored disk assigns a color to each five-minute increment, adding a clear, colorful cue to help discern how much time remains. This has positive implications for helping achieve smooth transitions and emotional regulation.
  • Especially supportive for neuro-diverse individuals — The product was created with children with ADHD, sensory sensitivities, and autism in mind, implementing a soothing, calming design.
  • Sensory-friendly — As Time Timer notes, “with soft bunny ears and gentle colors make time less scary and more approachable for young learners.” The sensory-friendly materials can help children who self-sooth primarily through touch.
  • Designed for the hard knocks of real life — As noted, when nestled inside the Bunny, the MOD Rainbow Wheel withstands tumbles, tosses, and falls up to 5 feet. (That’s almost an entire Paper Doll!)

The Time Timer Rainbow Wheel MOD + Protective Case — Bunny bundle includes One Year Premium Access to Time Timer® App.

Time Timer MOD + Protect — Tread

The Bunny is cute, but not everyone is seeking fluffy bunny mode.

Do you, your tiny humans, whimsical teens, or colleagues operate in a more rough-and-ready, active environment? If so, you or they may prefer something with a more hearty or rugged appearance.

Tread is a durable silicone case styled as a beefy tire, such as you’d see on an earth mover or big truck. It’s tailor-made for active households and busy classrooms, but is equally at home in therapy centers and workplaces where cute+tough is the right style choice. It measures 4.2″ wide by 4.2″ high by 2.4″ deep.

When I first saw the Time Timer MOD Protective Case — Tread, my immediate thought was that Workman MJ and his mom need this!

If you’re not on TikTok, you may not know Workman MJ, who first came to fame when his mom sought help convincing her toddler that workers take naps:

 

Over the course of just a few days, all sorts of workmen and women around the country came to her aid and filmed TikToks showing themselves taking naps after lunch — in their trucks and in various safe environments — illustrating to MJ (and all the other tiny workmen and workwomen) the importance of fueling and resting oneself and ones tools. And hey, that echoes Paper Doll‘s advice of about nap-taking, like in:

Take a Break — How Breaks Improve Health and Productivity

Take a Break for Productivity — The International Perspective

If you’re a TikTok aficionado, find your bliss watching Workman MJ and his Mom; their precious videos of MJ-narrated interactions with various workers while learning about their tools and skills are reminiscent of early Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers vignettes, and MJ’s mom (Jessica C. Lee) has even written a book, Workman MJ Takes a Nap, about their “it takes a village” nap experience.

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But back to Tread.

The bumpy, black rubber tire treads add a grippiness that makes the MOD easy for small hands to grab without dropping and adds an extra layer of hearty durability to the Time Timer MOD. Use it at work impress your co-workers with a nod to your “tough approach” to problem solving, or take it to the gym so your Time Timer MOD is safe no matter how rambunctious your workout. Either way, it’s a great companion for workspaces, workouts, or on-the-go time management. (Yes, it’s primarily made for kids, but why let them have all the fun?)

The Tread case is made of soft-touch silicone (easily cleaned by wiping with a damp cloth), and has been drop-tested from a height of 5 feet.

On its own, Tread is $14.95 from Time Timer and you can pair it with any MOD already in rotation in your school, office, or home.

However, if you’re the kind who always orders a combo meal, get the Time Timer MOD + Protect Case – Tread together in a rugged bundle for $39.95. It includes the grey 60-minute MOD with a classic red disk timer and the Tread protective case.

 

As with the Bunny bundle, you a great, confidence-boosting visual timer that supports the executive function needs of children and adults with ADHD, sensory processing challenges, and autism, as well as all sorts of people who need time management support, plus a hearty case that protects the timer from boo-boos.

And let’s face it, that tire tread pattern offers a cool tactile experience for those needing a fidget toy to support ongoing focus and reduce anxiety. Like the Bunny bundle, the MOD + Tread bundle includes One Year Premium Access to Time Timer® App. 

All Time Timer products include a One-Year 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. 

ZIP NOTES & DISPENSERS

We all love sticky notes. Whether we use a tiny sticky note for a label, a standard one for a list or a reminder, or a heavy duty one for intense climate situations, it’s become essential to have a method that just sticks without need for paper clips or staples.

However, sticky notes aren’t perfect. We usually have to settle for one uniform size or purchase multiples different sizes.

But wouldn’t it be cool if we could have a sticky note of any length we desired, whenever we wanted?

Thanks to the Zip Notes Executive Sticky Note Dispenser and Holder, we can.

 

Zip Notes

Invented by Edison, New Jersey-based Victor Technology, these Zip Notes might initially be indistinguishable from Post-its® and their (often less-adhesive) knockoffs, but there are some significant differences:

      • Zip Notes come on a roll — Taking a cue from old-timey adding machine paper rolls or paper towels, Zip Notes come on an 150-inch roll of adhesive-backed paper.

This format is cost-effective and reduces paper waste. One roll of Zip Notes is the equivalent of 600 regular 3″ x 3″ sticky notes!

As much as I love a good Post-it®, there are times when I don’t necessarily have the size I want. For example, on the side of my desk right now, I have a twelve-pack of the Post-it® mini (1 3/8″ x 1 7/8″) Greener Notes.

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They’re perfect when I want to scribble one or two words on a sticky note and use it as a label for a pile of papers. Conversely, for most purposes, a standard 3″ x 3″ sticky note works fine, but when you have a lot to write, it’s always nice to have a 3″ x 5″ sticky note on hand, because it has ample room, and you can turn it vertically to create a list.

But what if, in the course of an afternoon, you have several short, medium, and long sticky notes to write? You could keep all different size sticky notes in your drawer, but with Zip Notes, you wouldn’t have to, and you’ll never waste paper with a “continued on next note” situation.

Just hold down the button until the sticky note paper unspools to the length you prefer and tear it off. Suddenly, you have a note with a customized length!

      • Zip Notes have an adhesive strip running down the center of the note — The unique design of the Zip Notes, with a central strip of adhesive, prevents the edges from curling and allows for flexibility with adherence wherever you need it: at work, at school, or at home. As with any good sticky note, the Zip Notes are re-positionable.

Zip Notes come in three colors: pink, blue, and yellow, each for about $8.99/roll, either directly from the product page at Victor Technologies or from Amazon. 

Zip Notes work in tandem with three types of dispensers.

Zip Notes Executive Dispenser

The navy blue battery-operated Zip Notes Executive Dispenser dispenses the exact length of note you need so you can customize the length of your notes. It’s available directly from the Victor Technology website for $24.99 or for 23.99 at Amazon, in case you want to take advantage of your Prime Shipping. (Note, the photo on Amazon appears to be grey, but it’s apparently just a poor photo; it’s only available in blue.)

The Executive Dispenser is a compact 5.0” wide x 4.5” deep x 5.5” high, and takes up barely more room on your desktop than a stack of sticky notes. It requires two AA batteries, which are included.

Zip Notes Administrator Dispenser

The Zip Notes Administrator Dispenser can rest on your desk or be mounted to a wall, and measures 4.1” wide x 3.6” deep x 6.5” high. Similar to the Executive version, it takes two AA batteries (included).

The Administrator Dispenser is $24.99 at Victor Technology and $23.95 at Amazon.

Zip Notes Manual Dispenser

In addition to the two battery-operated versions, there is a manual Zip Notes dispenser. Without the nifty “zhhhh” sound and the button to push, it’s not quite as cool as its battery-operated counterparts, but at $9.99 for the burgundy dispenser (measuring 3.5 deep x 3.8 wide x 4.5 high), it might be handy to keep in your mobile office kit. Just pull to the desired note length and rip.

The Zip Notes Executive Sticky Notes and Dispensers are a neato combination of a different type of sticky note and a different way of dispensing them. If you’re GenX, you may be thinking, “It’s two mints in one!  

 

ANXIETY BOOKSHELF

It’s possible that only my professional organizer colleagues, Paper Mommy, and I will appreciate this product line, but Anxiety Bookshelf is a cute way to incorporate the soothing aspects of organization into your life without having to invest your heart and soul into downsizing or systematizing. 

What Is the Anxiety Bookshelf?

The conceit of the Anxiety Bookshelf is that when you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can shake the miniature bookshelf (which is actually a latched, hinged, window unto a bookshelf-like shadow box) to free all of the miniature “books” from their safe perches and knock them to the “floor.” 

Then open the hinged cover, take up the little books, and re-shelve them as you see fit. Why? To allow yourself to create a sense of order when things in your life are feeling disordered.

Arrange alphabetically by title or author, keep them in genres, or go rogue like the Home Edit crew and organize the books by color. (OK, please don’t do that. It gives me hives.)

 

Start by buying the actual Anxiety Bookshelf. 

  • The original Anxiety Bookshelf — the hand-painted bookshelf cases come in eight colors: brown (natural wood), white, pink, black, yellow, blue, green, and purple.

It measures 9.8″ wide x 7.8″ high by 2.7″ deep, and comes with 260 miniature books, from classics like George Orwell’s 1984 and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird to modern titles like John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. While the majority of the books are novels, there are memoirs and non-fiction titles, too. (You can see the titles by scrolling down to the bottom of this page.)

The original Anxiety Bookshelf, with a full complement of miniature books, is $54.98.

  • For the same $54.98 price, you can also purchase the DIY Anxiety Bookshelf, which comes with the bookshelf, white foam book block inserts, and sheets of 264 book cover stickers.

 

  • Alternatively, you can buy an empty bookcase in two sizes:
    • The full-size (empty) bookcase is $39.95.
    • The small (empty) bookcase is $19.95

and then fill the shelves with whichever of the various Anxiety Bookshelf book collections you prefer, at various price points (or a set of random mini books in 60, 120, 180, or 260 book counts).

Obviously, I’d pick the Jane Austen collection to start, before branching out. 

You can even customize the books you want and order from one to 10 different titles, starting at $5.90 for one-to-three titles, up to $18.90 for ten customized books. If you’re an author, you could even get your own mini books for your bookcase! 

Depending on how much anxiety you’d like to soothe or how many miniatures you need in your life, there are discounts for multiple bookshelf purchases. Save $10 on a purchase of two; save $15 if you buy three; save $20 if you purchase 4 bookshelves so that you can pretend you are Belle in Beast’s library.

  • There’s even a Pocket Anxiety Bookshelf for anyone who feels the urge to self-soothe by organizing tiny books on-the-go, like during breaks at school or work. It comes in six colors: (TARDIS) blue, black, green, white, pink, and brown, and has just three little shelves. It measures 2.8” wide x 3.7” high x 1.9” deep and comes with 60 books. The Pocket version is currently $29.95.

In addition, for those seeking some bookish solace, Anxiety Bookshelf has some adorable Room Box items with the same latch and glass front (for safe shaking), in case you want to re-arrange a cozier space, available with or without the miniature books.

Is This An Open-and-Shut (Book) Case?

For each of the bookcases, you can open the bookcase; there’s a latch on the side of the bookshelf for a secure closure before you shake the books off the shelf.

However, you can’t open the miniature books because (duh!) they aren’t actually printed texts. Rather, each “book” is a block .87″ high x .55″ wide x .12″-thick blank foam with a book cover sticker wrapped around it. 

So, although you can’t open the books, you can customize the ones you want, as noted above, and arrange them in whatever way will soothe your frazzled nerves. 

 

Isn’t This Just Clutter?

Maybe?

At first glance, this might just look yet another (cute) knick-knack destined to become clutter, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for everyone. However, the various iterations of the Anxiety Bookshelf may greatly appeal to certain subsets of the populace, including:

  • people who like closed-end crafts, as opposed to projects that go on forever. Even with the DIY version, once you apply all the stickers to create the books and shelve the books, there’s no more “work” to do.
  • those who are soothed by being able to control their environments on a small scale — because how often can you sort your junk drawer to calm yourself? (But hey, when you do, be sure to check out Is Your Junk Drawer a Drunk Drawer? 3 Steps to An Organized Junk Drawer for guidance.)
  • those who are soothed by closed-ended organizing projects and just need a short-term meditative organization project
  • folks who like to create customized displayable art that can also be played with rather than merely admired.

When I was little, Paper Mommy and I worked together (by which I mean that I read the instructions and she did the handiwork) to create adorable little “mouse house” shadowboxes with intricate detailing. I find the little bookshelves and miniature books similarly charming. 

But I also appreciate a product made specifically for the purpose of soothing anxiety of dealing with disarray in one’s personal world and the world at large. As a Certified Professional Organizer® — in fact, I just recertified for the sixth time since 2007), having helped clients with organizing and productivity for the past 24 years, my work doesn’t just help my clients; it’s therapeutic for me, too.

When something is stressing me out in my own life, I’ve been known to dump out my purse or lingerie drawer, sometimes to downsize, but usually just to create a little order and maintain some control.

I admit, this reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, from novelist Lucinda Rosenfeld:

“We order our salad dressing on the side because we’re control freaks. We’d like to control you. Because we can’t, we control lettuce.”  

Often, clients contact me because they’re anxious about organizing. But quite often, a focused approach to organizing, even (or especially) on a tiny scale, helps conquer anxiety and create just as much inner peace as meditation or a walk in nature. Sometimes, it helps just to be able to control something. Even lettuce. Even tiny books.

Although I never recommend purchasing a product, whether functional or aesthetic, unless you both need and want it, sometimes, it’s just nice to know what’s out there. You may not chase the ice cream truck down the street, but isn’t it nice to hear the music and know the truck waiting?

Finally, for Paper Mommy, from whom I learned my love for all things tiny, here’s Anxiety Bookshelf’s Mini Book Cart, available on its own, or with 60, 120, or 180 books.

I bet it could hold quiet a few miniature Popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, and Nutty Buddy ice cream cones.

Paper Doll on the Power of a DONE List

Posted on: June 16th, 2025 by Julie Bestry | 12 Comments

DON’T BE LISTLESS 

We all know the power of a To-Do list. 

When we’re feeling overwhelmed by all the little dings in our brains reminding us, over and over, of what we have to do, we turn to a brain dump. While it may, at first, seem overwhelming, completely off-loading everything we have to do — from paying quarterly estimated taxes to making (or ordering) a birthday cake for a tiny human to dropping off that trunk-load of donations — takes the weight off our shoulders.

Having to constantly remember TO do something keeps us from being to think in a nuanced way ABOUT how we’ll approach a task. Think of a brain dump as a prototype To-Do list. It works with almost any kind of productivity technique.

Review How to Make a Big To-Do

If you’re following David Allen’s Getting Things Done paradigm (even if you didn’t know until now that you were doing so), you start by gathering tasks from all of the places you’ve captured what you have to do, like a scribbled note, email, voicemail or memo on your desk.) Then clarify what efforts the end-results involve, and organize them into by context. If the items are actionable, you’ll break big things down into smaller, actionable “next steps” and likely send them to a To-Do list.

Alternatively, you might create lists according to Steven Covey’s Sharpen the Saw approach as part of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey’s Weekly Compass allows you to consider your tasks under larger rubrics reflecting your roles. For example, Paper Doll‘s roles include professional organizer, blogger, product creator, marketer, daughter, and friend. (It also includes “aspiring heiress” to cover all my self-care tasks.) 

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If you’re freestyling, without any particular system, it still goes the same way. Download all of the remembered tasks floating around your brain to a tangible or digital form, add items prompted by reminders in your environment, and ta-da, it’s a To-Do!

Still, it’s hard for your brain to know what to do next when the upcoming tasks are “schedule a colonoscopy, buy a dress for my high school reunion, and write a cost-cutting report for the CEO.” Instead, it makes sense to divide To-Do lists into categories, like “work” and “life.”

Depending on the complexities of your situations, you’ll probably want to break these down into subcategories. For “work,” you might have lists for client follow-up, marketing tasks, reports to write, presentations, and so on. For “life,” you task categories may be financial and household, plus personal concerns like parenting tasks (ranging logistical, like carpooling or being a room mother for a field trip, to big-ticket items like having big talks), relationship management, and self-care. 

For mosts of us, To-Do lists are the first step toward getting the work of life accomplished, and numerous Paper Doll have walked you through those steps. But there’s another kind of list that serves a different, though adjacent purpose. That’s a Done list.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TO-DO LIST AND A DONE LIST?

It’s possible you’ve never heard of a Done list. You could oversimplify and say that a To-Do list is a log of things you intend to do and a Done list is a list of what you’ve done. 

Or, you might say a To-Do list is tactics, while a Done list is metrics. 

But there are philosophical differences between the common To-Do list and the far-less-known Done list.

Stress Factor

A To-Do list can be hopeful, but it can also provoke anxiety. All of those “shoulds” can wear a person down, making us feel unproductive. The more we have on a To-Do list, the more we are reminded of what remains undone; for some, this can trigger procrastination.

Aspiration vs. Reality

A To-Do list shows shows our intentions, but that means everything on it is aspirational. As long as there’s a verb at the start, it could include anything, from “pick up the dry cleaning” to “convince George Clooney to invite me to dinner with him and Amal.”

A To-Do list holds potential, but you can’t take potential to the bank or serve it up for dinner. Conversely, there’s nothing aspirational in a Done list; it’s entirely reflective of what you’ve actually done, whether you’d planned to do so or not. Given that, Done lists take into account surprises, interruptions, and how you’ve managed to succeed despite inputs that were out of your control. 

A To-Do list holds potential, but you can't take potential to the bank or serve it up for dinner. A Done list take into account surprises, interruptions, and how you've managed to succeed despite inputs that were out of your… Share on X

Expectations

A To-Do list it can also be overwhelming, especially if you overload it with more than you can accomplish in a day. A Done list, however, looks at your day’s activities from a different perspective. It leaves aside the should-have-dones or the never-got-to items and embraces reality.

A Done list ignores expectations, allowing you to revel in what you’ve achieved without measuring against any particular pre-conceived benchmarks.

Identity

Your To-Do list says who you want to be. It creates a necessary blueprint, because we can’t accomplish much without a vision. Your idea of who you want to be might involve a ten-point plan taking you from college to career to marriage and parenthood, or it might be more passionate than prescribed. (Are you having wicked dreams about leaving Tennessee? Is Santa Monica calling you? Is there any chance Chappell Roan is reading my blog?)

 

Your Done list says who you are. There may be more to accomplish, but there’s an achievement or three you can point to and say, “I’m a person who has already [XXXX] and nothing and nobody can take that away from me.”

A To-Do list is akin to the clutter of exercise videos or the diet books you buy or the cardio classes you schedule on your calendar (or the bathing suit you buy because THIS is the summer you will actually swim to get in shape). But a Done list is the steps counted by your Fitbit or Apple Watch, the way your waistband fits, or the numbers when the doctor checks your blood pressure. 

Momentum

A To-Do list is static, like runners in the blocks before a race begins. A Done list, as it’s built, reflects the runners making progress (against their own time? against each competitor?) and pushing onward through the winner’s tape.

Don’t burn your To-Do lists. Just see the potential of adding a Done list to your productivity repertoir.

THE BENEFITS OF A DONE LIST?

Blogger Katherine Firth at Research Degree Insiders encourages us to look at our days more deeply. She asks, “But how do we know if we have succeeded in our day, or just succeeded ticking things off our To-Do list? Is a day where we did lots of important, urgent and valuable things (none of which were in our plans) still a success?”

And in the May 28, 2025 edition of Laura Vanderkam’s Vanderhacks Substack, she notes, after we tackle on our To-Do lists, “Now, of course, stuff comes up. Stuff always comes up. … You leave enough space that the unexpected doesn’t derail the expected. Shouldn’t we get credit for doing the stuff that came up too?“

Let’s consider the attributes and benefits of a Done list:

  • Compare plans vs. accomplishments — This is the most pedestrian of benefits. 
  • Create an official record — If you ever wonder if you canceled your satellite radio service or sent that thank you note, the Done list offers concrete proof. 
  • Perform a reality check — The official record is like sports statistics, but this benefit is like a mini-career retrospective before your jersey number gets retired (for the day). Reflecting Vanderkam’s question, if we’re going to give ourselves credit, let’s make sure we credit ourselves for everything and not just what we said we’d do.

If you’re always asking, “Where did the day (or week or month) go?” or spend each day fighting dragons it’s easy to dismiss your un-done tasks as failures. The Done list tallies your successes.

  • Add a real-time component to appreciating your accomplishments — When you try to capture your successes far after the fact, memories of what you did well can be fleeting.

When I worked in TV, I had a boss who favored saying, “One ‘aw [expletive deleted]’ can wipe out 10 ‘atta-boys.'” He meant that a stellar reputation among others can be stained by one misdeed, but I take it to mean how our brains judge us, too.

We remember our failures, our mistakes, our almost-but-not-quites. Instead of remembering that you didn’t get a job, wouldn’t it be more helpful to recall that you made it through four rounds of interviews and have developed better responses to those weird questions?

Instead of remembering that you didn't get a job, wouldn't it be more helpful to recall that you made it through four rounds of interviews and have developed better responses to those wacky questions? Share on X
  • Develop positive reinforcement — So much of modern life is ongoing: how often does anyone get to Inbox: 0 (or Laundry Basket: 0)? It’s hard to feel like any attention is given to what we’ve finished before it’s time to chase ourselves to the next benchmark.

A Done list reminds you that you can do it because you have done it. Recognize your successes. The Done list gives credit to the depth and breadth of achievements and sends dopamine hits to your brain, making coming back tomorrow easier and more eagerly anticipated.

  • Boost confidence in yourself and not just your output — We are always our own worst critics, and in this part of the Western Hemisphere (and in this part of the 21st century), we are bombarded with messages that if we don’t “produce” then we aren’t enough. This is a reminder that you ARE enough, and if you need more to undergird that reminder of your value, may I direct you to:  
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Burkeman notes that:

Many people these days report the feeling that they begin each morning in a kind of ‘productivity debt,’ which they must struggle to pay off over the course of the day, in hopes of returning to a zero balance by the time evening comes. If they fail — or worse, don’t even try — it’s as though they haven’t quite justified their existence on the planet.

While Burkeman clarifies the difference between the tasks we must in order to pay the rent, or how it’s “generally a good idea” to make sure your kids have food and clothing. But very much like what I wrote in my series on toxic productivity, he gets to the heart of what happens when we go beyond the push to be productive pressed on us by society into something more insidious:

But we overlay this everyday sense of obligation with existential duty not only to achieve certain ends, or to meet our basic responsibilities to others, but because it’s a cosmic debt we’ve somehow incurred in exchange for being alive….Our frenetic activity is often an effort to shore up a sense of ourselves as minimally acceptable members of society.

Burkeman reflects that whether the origins of this sense of inadequacy comes from the Protestant work ethic, our parents, or consumerism (um, check out that first toxic productivity post, eh), this “productivity debt mindset” means that even our checked-off To-Do list items create an ever-higher standard to achieve.

He posits that a Done list — rather than serving as a yardstick against your To-Do list — should invite you “to compare your output to the hypothetical situation where you stayed in bed and did nothing at all” and goes further to ask, “What makes that comparison any less legitimate than the other one?”

Whoa.

Of course, Burkeman’s recent area of expertise is the finitude, or limited nature, of life, and he doesn’t see the Done list as merely a way to give ourselves a rah-rah. He envisions the process of the Done list as one that makes us increasingly likely to make better decisions about what efforts and tasks to face in the first place, make more progress on them, and experience less anxiety about the things we’ve chosen to neglect. 

My colleague Linda Samuels’ recent post, How a Helpful Productivity Reframe Makes More Time for Fun on making a “satisfying” day dovetails nicely with this line of thinking. 

  • Conquer task rebellion — Are you the kind of person whom the minute you’re assigned something (even if you assign it to yourself), you suddenly don’t want to do it? A Done list is an alternate productivity tool for keeping a close eye on your important tasks and obligations.
  • Make sure others appreciate your achievements — Vanderhack’s Substack post acknowledges two bonuses to the Done list:

If you ever need to convince someone that you are in fact working hard, you can just send your manager your Done list. If you are managing people, you can ask team members to keep Done lists and share them with you. That way, at your next check-in you can congratulate them on a job well…done.

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  • Blend a Done list into your gratitude practice — If you’re inclined to regularly practice gratitude (or, especially, if you’re not), a Done list shows you what you can be grateful for and show gratitude to: your skills and talents, for the time you had available to accomplish something, for the people or agencies that helped you accomplish what you wanted.

A long list of doctor’s appointments and medical tests on your To-Do list can be daunting. But seeing things like “Made mammogram appointment” or “Got dental crown replaced” on your Done list gives you the opportunity to feel grateful to be healthy or restored to health, that there are specialists to whom you can turn for expert care, and that you have health insurance. For those of us who are terrible at gratitude journaling, our Done list is a good alternative.

WHAT GOES ON YOUR DONE LIST?

We all know the joke that on days where we struggle to make headway, we might put “wake up” or “make a To-Do list” on our To-Do list, just so we’ll have things to cross off.

If your Done list were merely your To-Do list with items checked off, those pseudo-tasks, while helping you get your mojo going might* — under most circumstances — feel silly upon reflection. The following that might go on your Done list:

  • Calls made
  • Appointments kept
  • Meetings attended
  • Work obligations completed
  • Errands run
  • Household chores tackled
  • Procrastinated-upon “adulting” completed

But a Done list may capture more than just the tasks you performed but also some higher level achievements like:

  • ideas you generated, like brainstormed concepts for a blog post or outlining a plan for a vacation itinerary
  • metrics of what you are achieving, like if you walked 10,000 steps or recorded three videos or did ten language lessons on Duolingo. If you plan to read a certain number of pages or chapters or books in a set period of time, you can log your efforts toward those goals. If you planned to read 40 books a year, but only read 35, something that shows you that you DID read 35 books is a lot more motivating than the fact that you fell somewhat short of the overall goal. The metrics let you focus on what you did do.
  • what you didn’t do that you didn’t want to do. If your goal is to have a no-spend Sunday and you found cost-free activities and didn’t spend a penny, huzzah! Write it down! If you’re struggling to maintain no-contact status with that ex you miss but know isn’t good for you, when you complete a day of NOT CALLING THE PERSON, give yourself a prize! 

*Is there anything too inconsequential to put on a Done list?

It depends on you. If you’re not struggling with depression right now, “took a shower” or “brushed teeth” is going to fill up your Done list unnecessarily. If you aren’t suffering with an eating disorder, writing “ate lunch,” or “had a healthy mid-day snack” probably needn’t show up on your list.

However, any challenge you overcome deserves to be celebrated. If you have ADHD, tracking that you got to work (or got the kids to school) on time is valid. Your Done list can track these successes, and it will remind you that you can do, and have done, hard things.

And if you struggle with giving yourself compassion, whether you’re dealing with chronic pain or illness, mental health issues, or anything that makes the tasks of daily living (including self-care, cleaning, organizing, etc.) hard, I recommend How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by K.C. Davis.

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HOW TO CREATE A DONE LIST

Add items to your Done list contemporaneously with achieving them so you won’t forget anything. If that’s not possible, schedule time at the end of the day to log and review your successes.

I know there’s a temptation to think that if you’ve already got a To-Do list, you can just check items off as you complete them. I’m not saying that you can’t do this, but it’s much too easy to forget things. 

So, if you’re tempted to reject my advice to keep them separate, then please do the following:

  • add all of your unanticipated achievements to your To-Do list as you go
  • at least use a check mark or similar ✅ symbol in the left-hand margin rather than striking through what you’ve done; the point is to be able to see what you HAVE accomplished
  • move incomplete tasks to a list for the next (or some future) day; then cross out those items, remembering that crossing it out means it’s been moved, not accomplished. 

However, I really encourage you to make your Done list a separate endeavor from your To-Do list.

Pick a style that reflects your preferences:

Analog Done List Formats
Digital Done List Formats
  • a digital document in a format like Word, Google Docs, Excel, or Google Sheet
  • daily or weekly emails to yourself — keep a running list of “dones” and then send it to yourself to archive.
  • an Evernote note using the Daily Note template function, formatted to your preference
  • Apple’s Done List app, which allows you to type or use emoji to track your completed tasks
  • your phone’s Notes app

Some people post their achievements as a running list of social media posts. That requires a strong ego, thick skin, and an achievement list that doesn’t include awkward personal care tasks. If you’re an introvert or a menopausal woman, you might want to skip this method.

Not everything lends itself to a list format. Sometimes, seeing a task on a list doesn’t tell the whole story. There are times when journaling “the story of my day” will not only be the better alternative to logging achievements, but appreciating them.

Remember Unplanned Successes

Don’t forget to include huge leaps that weren’t on your list.

Did you fly for the first time since the pandemic even though you’ve been scared to do it? Did you set consequences and enforce a boundary and with someone who historically tramples them? Did you (politely but firmly) explain that you will not be “voluntold” (forced into volunteering) for a project, whether in life or at work?

Put them down as DONE!

DON’T BE DONE WITH YOUR DONE LIST

Post your Done lists for the week on a bulletin board or the fridge so that you can reflect on your successes.

Leave it side-by-side with tomorrow’s To-Do list so that when you sit at your desk, you can review yesterday’s successes before attacking today’s goals.

Put reviewing your Done list on your calendar. Review it before heading out for the weekend.

Create a Success Folder and at the end of the quarter, go through and highlight the “big ticket” successes. When you do your personal annual review, haul these out so you can record the bigger (or small but important) accomplishments. (See Organize Your Annual Review & Mindset Blueprint for 2023 for examples.)

And now…I’m done.

How to Use Timers for Improved Productivity — Part 5: Hybrid Timers and Bonus Material

Posted on: May 5th, 2025 by Julie Bestry | 10 Comments

Depending on how you feel about timers, you’re either relieved or disappointed that we’ve come to the end the series, where thus far we’ve had:

In the past four posts, I’ve offered up the why and how of using and selecting timers to meet your needs, aesthetically and psychologically, and to ensure your greater productivity. Today’s post wraps up with a combo platter.

First, literally, we’ll look at combination timers, those hybrid devices that offer both an analog and digital approach to letting you concentrate on your work without fear that you’ll forget to rest your eyes, roll your shoulders, or pick the kids up from school.

Second, because there are still so many more timers than we had a chance to explore, I’m piling up bonus resources of the tangible and digital sort.

Third, thanks to the generosity of the creator of one of the timers I already referenced, I can offer a little real-world review.

HYBRID TIMERS

We looked at tangible, physical timers which usually (but not always, in the case of the Focus Timer®) express time in an analog-only format. We also examined digital timers timers that were, themselves, digital (in a browser, website, software platform, or app) and which also displayed time digitally in numerals rather than in clock-like, analog time.

However, there are hybrid timers which combine features — they are tangible but with digital (or both digital and analog) display, and digital timers with some measure of an analog display.

Time Timer Watch

The Time Timer Watch takes everything appealing in traditional Time Timers (the Originals, Plus, Mods, Retro ECO, and more) we discussed in the third post in this series and incorporate it all into a wristwatch.

The Time Timer Watch displays time visually with a digital (that is, electronic) version of the red time disk, but also includes a digital (numerical) readout for the clock and countdown settings.

Whether for you or your child, the Time Timer Watch is a discreet and portable timer that helps keep daily routines on track. It supports efforts to maintain and increase focus, and improve independence and self-regulation. As Time Timer notes,

“Whether you depend on Time Timer products to overcome ADHD, Autism, or other cognitive variances, or you just want the look of a fun sporty watch that increases productivity, the Time Timer Watch is your solution. The sporty design makes this wrist-watch a great accessory for students, adults, athletes, teachers, and professionals, of any age or ability.”  

The watch band is made of soft silicone in two circumference sizes matched to their color: white (5″ to 7.5″ for small) and dark green (5.5″ to 8.25″ for large), while the watch face is 1.5 inches. Mix and match different silicone band colors (Caribbean Blue, Sedona Orange, and Baltic Blue) to reflect your style.

Alternatively, you can carry the watch face in a silicon watch fob accessory; wear it like an 1890s robber baron on a watch chain, on a cord around your neck like an ID badge, or attach it to your backpack.

The Timer Timer watch uses a CR2032 (coin-style) battery and works in three different modes:

  • Time Timer — Set an original 60-minute timer or a custom timer for up to 99 hours. (Think you’d never need a timer that long? Imagine counting down how many hours are left having to be nice to a visiting relative who sets your teeth on edge!) You can set an optional repeating alert for circumstances requiring a regular reminders, like to take medication, use the restroom, bring likely-to-wander attention back to the task, or soothe your way into a transition between tasks or modes.
  • Clock — The watch has both analog and digital displays in 12- or 24-hour format. (Paper Doll readers know I always prefer an analog clock to a) help children reinforce an understanding of analog time and b) makes time visible and proportional in ways that digital time does not.
  • Alarm — While timers give us backup for paying attention to the ebb and flow of our day, an alarm allows us to stop paying attention altogether. Leave it to Jeeves! So, rather than setting a duration of five minutes or 3 hours from now, you can set a time-of-day alarm. The optional alarm has multiple settings such that the alarm can be off, beep, vibrate silently, or beep and vibrate. Pick what works based on sound or tactile sensitivities or variances in hearing abilities. 

 
The Timer Timer Watch is particularly ideal for school and testing situations because it’s not a smart device, isn’t connected to the internet, and can be used in silent mode. Set the visual timer to the duration of a testing session and don’t worry about knowing how much time is left or calculating the time difference.

Time Timer Twist

For years, I used to visit the Time Timer booth at NAPO conferences, praising the different devices but wishing for a small magnetic version. I recall being a little giddy when the Time Timer Twist finally made it’s debut, and it ties with the MOD for being my favorite (and the most stylish) Time Timer.

To set the timer on the Twist, turn the outer ring until you reach your desired time, all the way up to 90 minutes, and then push the play button. (Push again to pause.) The digital display shows as a black, self-diminishing, digital version of the traditional red analog disk, while the digital version of the time remaining counts down in the center.

Then just attach it any metal surface, like the kitchen fridge, a filing cabinet in your office, or a magnetic classroom whiteboard, per Time Timer:

At home, use the TWIST® for everything from helping kids’ morning and bedtime routines, timing homework and study sessions, or baking the perfect batch of cookies.

In the classroom, it’s great for timing tests and turn-taking exercises, timing group activities, and helping kids with special needs transition between activities.

In the office, use it to keep track of presentations, team-building activities, and more. 

There’s a volume control switch so depending on your environment, you can opt for a silent, low, or high volume alert when your time is up.

 

Timer Timer Twist runs on one AAA battery and comes in four color schemes: Dreamsicle Orange, Lake Day Blue, Pale Shale Gray, and Original Red. If you love this version and don’t mind sticking with the Original Red, there’s even a Time Timer Twist with Kickstand that’s not only magnetic, but can stand at attention, giving the MOD some competition!

Four-Channel Professional Kitchen Timers

We’ve talked about the convenience of using your cell phone timer when making a complex meal. While it’s pretty far afield from the kinds of timers we’ve been looking at, four-channel commercial kitchen timers are ideal for restaurant kitchens — wanna film your own version of FX’s The Bear? — or in Brady Bunch-style households with big families or lots of housemates.

Digital 4-Channel Kitchen Timers are tangible but digital, and made of sturdy stainless steel with LED lights. Set each of four timers independently. The time mode lets you set in hours and minutes or minutes and seconds, ranging from zero (0000) to 99.59 hours or 0-99.59 minutes. Designed for a busy commercial (or home) kitchen, there’s a loud, high-decibel buzzer. 

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It’s electric and requires no programming, so it’s plug and play. Find a variety of four-channel digital timers on Amazon or at restaurant supply stores.

BONUS TIMER RESOURCES

I could write another 5-post series and still never hit all of the variety of tangible timers and apps available. Still, there are many that deserve consideration for one or more unique attributes.

Bonus Analog Timers

In the second post of this series, I wrote two potentially conflicting pieces of advice. You want a timer both does something different and is aesthetically appealing. Well, I’ve recently discovered two products that intrigue me by putting more weight on the latter than the former.

Singles Timer

First, I discovered Zone Denmark, a sort of Danish-designer version of IKEA. Reader, I covet them. Their Singles Timer, made of powder coated steel, doesn’t do anything different, but its compact design caught my eye.

The Singles Timer is a squat cylinder measuring 3.5″ (8.9 cm) high and 2.13″ (5.4 cm) in diameter, and weighs 5.64 ounces. It comes in five colors: Black, Warm (light) Grey, Cool (darker) Grey, Lupine (a sort of violet) and Mud (beige). Turn the basket-like handle on top to set the timer, do your cooking (or whatever), and then carry your timer with you wherever you go.

 
The Singles Timer costs 25 Euros (about $28.47 US), plus shipping, and while it lacks the attributes necessary for someone needing a visual gauge of time, it’s just darned pretty, making it suitable as a simple household timer.

the dot

the dot wooden timer cube is a mix of ancient and modern, wood and metal and microchips, analog and digital. The base is a rounded block of wood measuring 3.54″D x 3.54″W x 0.98″H with a hole in the center (much like a toad-in-the-hole, egg-and-toast breakfast); affixed to the interior bottom is a metal bowl and suspended from the interior top is the string-and-ball mechanism that strikes the bowl to make it chime. However, the timer is set digitally on the outer top of the dot.

Thus, you have a digital LCD display for easy setting of the timer for meditation or deep work, but a mechanical chiming when the set time is up.

the dot uses one lithium polymer battery, which can be recharged with a USB-C charging cable. It’s a pricey at $80, but it’s an intriguing stylistic mix: yoga retreat-meets-corporate focus. 

Bonus Digital Timers

Browser Timers
  • Google Timer (browser-based) — Did you know that there’s a digital timer built into Google? The default is set for five minutes but you can customize for whatever time you need. Type your exact hour, minute, and second preference or use the pre-set buttons to bump up the time by :30, 1:00, or 5:00 increments. Opt to make the soothing blue background full-screen, mute or unmute the dingle-dingle alert chime, and start the timer. Pause and restart as you like. It’s right on Google, so it’s free.

  • Focus Hours (browser-based) — This similar browser-based solution is a step up from Google. Click the timer to slide out a settings panel to name your activity, identity daily start times for habits you want to promote, set (one of only two possible) alerts to ring when your focus time is up. Opt for night mode if you prefer, and when you’re ready, click start. Do ad hoc tasks or set up a roster of personal and business high-focus tasks. This free browser app has extensive statistics to let you track your focus by day, week, month, or year.

  • Juicy Timer  (browser-based) — Scroll down to set the time, hit start, and watch as a traditional kitchen tomato timer turns slowly, ticking down to zero, with a digital countdown below. The mid-range (not high or piercing) alert brings you out of focus and prompts a 5-minute break.

  • Zorro Timer (browser-based web app) — This timer is both simple and pretty. Select an ambiance (forest ocean, rain, or café sounds, or “peace” with classical music), select your focus and break times, and just start working.

  • Tomodoro (browser-based web app) — This customizable, open-source web app has beautiful background colors from which to choose. Set the times for focus and breaks, pick how many rounds/cycles you want to work; choose themes, accent colors, whether you want white noise and whether notifications should be silent or enabled. It supports Always-on-Top, or Picture-In-Picture (PIP) mode without having to install any other app, so you can focus on the work in your browser window without losing sight of the timer.
  • Amazing Timer (web browser) — If you’re running an online workshop, interspersing chat with co-working, this is an alternative to a built-in timer in Zoom. Share your screen as Amazing Timer offers a simple countdown with a variety of beautiful, calming, customized backgrounds. 

You may also want to take a peek at a few more appealing browser-based timers:

  • Big Timer — This full-screen timer is in-your-face with large, white block-face numbers on a solid black screen. Adjust whether you want a sound when time’s up or at each of the final ten seconds (or no sound at all). The timer can also count up after the end (in case you want to know how much more time you took to finish your task). Make the timer full-screen, and have it auto-repeat (in case you want to violate the precepts of Pomodoro and not take breaks).
  • Pomotastic — This customizable Pomodoro timer lets you choose literally any RBG colors, with themed colors for focus, short breaks, and long breaks
  • Timer.OneClock.Net — Try scary red numbers on a black background, in case you want to feel like you’re deactivating a bomb. (Hey, some people prefer the stick to the carrot!)
  • Timesets — Customizable Pomodoro timer has 5 color schemes and drag-and-drop focus and break options.
General Timer Apps
  • Time Timer App — This free app is available for iOS through the App Store and for Android on the Google Play Store. It’s fully customizable: select colors, notifications, and multi-timer lists exactly as you like.

  • Minidoro (iOS) — This super-customizable timer app is no-nonsense. Set sessions, breaks, goals, and cycles, color schemes and dark or light themes, sounds and notifications. It cycles through analog time rather than providing a full “slice” of time as with Time Timer. Unlike Time Timer’s app, Minidoro isn’t free; it’s $2.99.

Digital Timer Apps for Wellness Experiences

  • Tide (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, Chrome) — Unrelated to the detergent of the same name (though it cleans the stress out of your brain), Tide is a mobile and browser app with an immersive timer and features to help you sleep, rest/relax, or meditate. Select a soundscape (like a Hawaiian beach, restaurant, rainforest, a mahjong parlor (!), dishwasher, typewriter, and hundreds more), meditations, or sleep stories. Whether you want to focus and do deep work or empty your mind, relax, and bliss out, Tide has a mode for what you need. 
  • Marshmallows (iOS) — This is more of a gamified timer, rewarding you with breaks of random lengths after each 25-minute Pomodoro focus session. The breaks range from 5-30 minutes, adding na element of excitement, anticipation, and pleasant uncertainty. (However, it’s not the best option if you’re on a tight turn-around schedule.) This intermittent reinforcement to keep you engaged and motivated is supposed to excite a level of curiosity and encourages focus so you’ll finish your session. The varied break times should reduce stress and burnout. (There’s also a social option to connect with and compete with friends.)
Work Productivity Timers Built Into Productivity Suites
  • Focus To Do (Windows, Mac, Chrome extension, iOS, Android, Apple Watch) — This app blends Pomodoro timers with task management features. Create to-do lists, break down tasks into ever-smaller sub-tasks, and set progress reminders and due dates. Generate detailed statistics regarding your time use and the number of tasks completed so you can analyze and improve your productivity patterns. Focus To Do syncs across devices so you can access your timers, tasks, and stats from anywhere. It’s free; the Lifetime Premium level is $11.99.
  • TogglTrack (Chrome extension, iOS, Android, Apple Watch) — The Pomodoro timer is just one part of a powerful time tracking and productivity suite for knowledge workers ranging from solopreneurs to small teams to enterprise-levels. It’s designed to track time spent on various projects and tasks, and it generates reports on how individuals and teams use their time, prompting deeper analysis. 
  • Traqq Pomodoro Timer (Mac, Windows, and Linux, and browser-based) — Traqq is a comprehensive time-tracking suite for solopreneurs, small businesses, teams, and large companies, monitoring how employees spend time on tasks, projects, and breaks. The Pomodoro Timer can be used independently in the browser; it defaults to 25 minutes with 5 minute breaks.
Combination Timers and Task Apps

There’s a proliferation of apps that combine a task function with timers to encourage focus, including:

  • Blitzit (iOS, Android ) — There’s a free browser-based Pomodoro timer where you can customize the audio and ambiance, but the full app combines task lists and timers to help you track your focus through your pre-planned work schedule.
  • FocusList (iPhone, AppleWatch, Mac) — This app combines a daily planner & Pomodoro focus timer app.
  • Podor (Android) — This task app includes a timer, but is also designed to help you organize tasks with tags, access detailed statistical reports of your time use, and customize your experience to fit how you work. 
  • Pomotodo (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome extension) — Designed as a time management app for creatives types, combining tasks and timers and making it easy to generate time sheets for billing after the work is completed.

Whew!

FOCUS TIMER® MINI REVIEW

You may recall that I wrote about the hourglass-shaped Focus Timer® in the third week of this series. Soon after I published, I heard from Dave Zuverink, the creator of the Focus Timer® (and before that, the creator of the SlimFold Wallet).

I’m always happy to hear from anyone mentioned in Paper Doll posts, but I was delighted when Dave asked if I would like to try the Focus Timer® in person and chat with him about it. I would, I did, and we did!

For details about the Focus Timer®, it’s worth going back to that prior post, but I wanted to tell you about my experience and what I learned from Dave.

First, it’s weird to say, but the Focus Timer®’s feels as soft and smooth as a chubby baby’s arm.

Second, it makes no rattling noises, unlike most tangible timers. Dave detailed the various iterations of this super-smooth hourglass timer. It turns out that it’s got a microchip inside; it’s like a little computer processor, always identifying in what direction you turn the timer.

I’d commented to Dave about the chime sound being so satisfying, and it turns out that’s because there’s an actual speaker/amplifier thingie inside, playing a recording of a real chime! (I nodded along as he explained how other timers — and devices like smoke detectors — have a “fisio” that makes a mechanical sound, which is certainly less calming at the end of a Pomodoro!)

Third, between using the Focus Timer® and talking to Dave, I realized that what I’d originally considered somewhat of a drawback was advantageous. It’s tangible, it’s visual, but it’s not analog. There’s no clock face, and there are no numbers. I’d seen that as missing something, but Dave noted that it was intentional so as not to take the user out of focus and to instead shut down the analytical part of the brain — in other words, enjoy the color rings and trust the eventual notification to do their thing.

Dave and I talked about his professional background in interaction design and the psychology of product design, and I shared my perspective as a professional organizer and productivity specialist. Now that I understand how much technology goes into the Focus Timer® and have used it several times (and can’t stop fiddling with it because it feels so nice), I see even better how this novel product brings something new and different to the time management realm. 

In the original post, I shared the video for the recent launch of the Focus Timer® V2, but it’s worth watching the original Kickstarter video.

 
I’m still experimenting with the Focus Timer®, but have already fallen a little in love. It took me a little while (with the well-written and well-drawn directions) but now I can easily rotate the timer (as if it’s doing a fashion show): each turn yield a new time ring. I finally got a feel for how the individual rings (blue for minutes, yellow for ten minutes) work, so the timer counts up by 5 after 20 minutes and up by 10 after 60 minutes. Neato.

Over the past weeks, I’ve read comments and had conversations with readers who have a favorite timer and those who never use them, some who hyper-focus and others who are still seeking to overcome time blindness to focus. 

Only you can know whether you need a visual timer or one that merely alerts you to end of a work session; only you can decide whether you need “feel” time by manipulating something tangible or whether a simple (or customized) browser or app timer is right for your needs.

Context matters. My iPhone suffices when I’m cooking, but I want a tangible timer when working with clients, particularly if “seeing” time is difficult for them. When I’m doing deep work, I want a visual timer, but my stress level determines how much I want to bother customizing an app or browser solution.

What doesn’t change is that no matter how precise our internal clock may (or may not) be, there are times when we want to outsource that ticking so that we can focus.

How to Use Timers for Improved Productivity and Focus — Part 4: Digital Timers

Posted on: April 28th, 2025 by Julie Bestry | 9 Comments

In the past three weeks, we’ve explored using timers to enhance focus, reduce hyper-focus, and get stuff done.

After establishing why (and in what situations) timers can boost productivity, we identified the general characteristics of a good timer and the customizable aspects supporting individuals in their unique tasks and projects. 

Last week, we examined a wide variety of tangible timers, particularly those (like Time Timer and the Focus Timer® Visual Timer) that allow users to both see the passage of time (particularly with the benefit of showing analog time), and feel like they have some tactile control over manipulating time.

While children, people with ADHD and executive function disorders, and anyone who has difficulty identifying and recognizing time as it passes can benefit from those tangible timers, not everyone needs a physical timer, and while we can all benefit from seeing analog time, it’s not always essential for all.

If what you most need is to have a trusted alert so that you do not overrun your allotted time, digital timers will suffice, but they range from ultra-basic to fancy-schmancy.

DIGITAL TIMERS YOU ALREADY OWN

In the second post in this series, we looked at a long sequence of features that make a good timer, both for the project and the user. You may wish to review those concepts, but in general, you want a timer that is:

  • simple to use
  • does more than what you’re already able to do with your resources
  • integrates, if applicable, with the tools you already have
  • process-agnostic, so that you don’t have to use only fixed-durations that aren’t useful for your needs (in case you prefer the 52/17 technique to a standard 25/5 Pomodoro and break, for example)
  • aesthetically pleasing, visually (if that matters to you)
  • customizable for features such as volume and type of audio alert
  • frictionless, because every obstacle to using a timer is an obstacle to your focus

Kitchens stoves have built-in timers, but if you’re in your back yard doing some weeding, at the coffee shop finishing up a presentation, conducting a meeting at the office (or online), taking a nap in your dorm room (or the comfy chairs at the library), or doing anything anyplace that is not your kitchen, you’ll need to possess some kind of timer more sophisticated than asking a patient friend to count one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi for minutes or hours on end and then shouting your name!

Your Built-In Device Timer

The fastest and simplest timer method is to use the one built into your phone. However, I’ve been surprised by how many people don’t know how to use their phone timers or at least all of the features available.

On iOS devices like iPhones or iPads, just open the Clock app on your home screen.

  • Tap Timers, generally on the bottom of the Clock app interface.
  • Hit the + sign to add a new timer.
  • Set the duration by turning the number dials: a 25-minute Pomodoro to get work done, 14 minutes to cook your salmon, 38 minutes until you should check your laundry. Adjust the hours, minutes, and seconds as needed.
  • Add a label if you tend to forget what the timer was for. This is helpful if you’re setting multiple timers to get all of the items you’re cooking for Thanksgiving dinner on the table simultaneously; one timer tells you when to baste the turkey, another to reheat the potatoes, and so on. If you’re apt to hyper-focus, labeling the timer PICK UP CHILDREN!!! may give you the boost you need not to snooze or ignore your timer.
  • Add a song or sound to play when your time is up if pre-set alerts are too jangly for you. You might want a lilting tone to lift you gently out of hyper-focus or an energetic song to help you transition from your break to the next task.
  • Tap Start. The timer will begin counting down. You can now look away and ignore it.
  • If you need to pause the timer, because of an interruption, hit the pause icon (universally known among seniors as “the eleven”) and resume (by hitting the “play” triangle) when you’re ready. 

When your time is up, the phone will send you a notification, even if you’re in another app. 

You may notice that you have other timers in a “Recent” list. If you tend to use an official 25-minute Pomodoro and 5-minute break often, go ahead and create labels for them and keep them in your list; add and label any other frequently-used timers to save you time and effort the next time  you want to quickly assign yourself a stop time. 

If you want to quickly set a timer on your iPhone and you don’t mind setting it for multiples of 5-minute increments, head to the Control Center:

Alternatively, you can shout, “Hey, Siri, set a timer for 25 minutes” across the office to set a Pomodoro without the temptations inherent in holding a phone in your hand.

Your digital assistant is particularly useful in the kitchen if your hands are wet or you want to avoid touching your phone while cooking. If what’s in the oven isn’t quite ready, asking Siri to set the timer means I don’t have to hover or worry that if I turn to wash some dishes, I could completely forget that three minutes have passed.

Android devices operate much the same way, via the Clock app and using the Timer option. Android users generally set timer durations from a number pad (akin to making a call or using the calculator) rather than a dial, but set customized labels and adjust sounds as with iOS.

Android has the same pause/resume/cancel functions and you can keep multiple timers running concurrently. 

You can use your Google Assistant by saying, “Hey Google, set a timer for 15 minutes.” Just be sure to enunciate a little better than than this internet sensation.

The main advantage of using your built-in device timer is that it’s easy-peasy lemon squeezy. Take ten seconds to set a timer by tapping or talking and you’re ready to get started. The obstacles are few and the countdown is simple.

The drawback of using your phone or device as a timer is that it presents an opportunity for distraction when you are setting the timers and again when you reach for the phone to stop the timer alert. If you experience phone addiction, you may wish to read:

DEDICATED DIGITAL TIMERS FOR FOCUS AND PRODUCTIVITY

The next step up from your kitchen or built-in phone timer is a mobile app, desktop app, or browser-based app, and there are numerous options available. Few have any great functional advantages over the others, so it’s often a matter of picking which aesthetic or bonus features you prefer. Most will be marketed as Pomodoro timers, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be limited to 25 minute increments; it’s just branding.

Browser Based Timers

If you’ve got a phone, tablet, or computer, you’ve got an internet browser. Using a web-based timer in your browser means you don’t have to download anything. It’s best for when you are having trouble focusing, want a timer, but know that searching for an app to download will keep you from getting started. Wherever you are, even on a borrowed computer or in the public library, there’s a browser timer for you.

Pomodor

Pomodor is web-based. Just bring up the website and it’s already ready for you tap the play button to start your first (of up to four) Pomodoro timers. While the default is set for 25 minutes Pomodoros with 5-minute breaks, you can can adjust multiple aspects, including:

      • work duration from 5-60 minutes
      • short break duration for 1-5 minutes
      • long break duration of 1-45 minutes (after four Pomodoro/short break cycles) 
      • how many rounds (or cycles) you want to do, from 1 to 15
      • which of eight alert noises you prefer (all sounding very “iPhone circa 2009”)

There’s also a dark mode option, which I’ve employed, below.

Pomodor is free. While you can create an account to preserve your settings or access your stats overview with charts to visualize which days of the week you were the most productive, it’s not required. 

Pomodor’s few customizations means you won’t spend a lot of time futzing with the settings and can (or at least should) get right to work.

Focus Keeper

Focus Keeper is another free and easy-to-intuit web-based timer. Create an account with your email and a password, or Google or Apple ID, and when you log in you can create pre-set timers with labels for various types of activities (reading? meditation? blog writing?) and even have a daily schedule for time-blocked work.

When you’re logged in, just select or create a timer you wish to start, click “play” and start working; you can track your focus by the day, by times of the day, and by focused task-type.

If you don’t want to log in, just start with the default settings: a 25 minute focus setting, a 5 minute break setting, a 30-minute long break between cycles of four sessions and breaks. Turn the ticking (so much ticking!) on or off, and pause if necessary, but otherwise, as you get to work, the soothing “waves” at the bottom of the screen gets higher.

Focus Keeper is available on the web, as well as in iOS and Android versions.

Pomofocus

Pomofocus is another web-based timer that lets you access basic aspects for free. Without signing in, you can set the focus, short break, and long break timers, name the focus task, and select the number of Pomodoros and breaks — which need not be strict 25-minute Pomodoros — I set this up for a 52/17 round; you can also set the number of cycles before a long break.

You can also adjust the volume of the alert and the type of alert sound.

If you create an account and log in, you can use templates, access a summary detailing the number of hours you spent focused, the number of days you used Pomofocus, and how many days of a streak you amassed. (If you’re competitive, you can see how you rank against other Pomofocus users.)

Pomofocus is free, but the ad-free Premium plan gives you lets you add more projects and templates, view a yearly report, download reports, import tasks from Todoist, and connect to other apps. The Premium plan is $3/month, $18/year, or $54 for a lifetime plan.

Deep Work Depot — Want to focus on your deep work in the most bare bones way? Based on Cal Newport’s concept described in his book Deep Work, this timer emphasizes focusing without distraction on tasks that are cognitively demanding.

N/A

There are no bells, no whistles, and hardly any color or design. Set your focus and rest timer durations; turn the “Lo-Fi” music on or off.

(Lo-Fi, my aging GenX self has learned, refers to low-fidelity, a musical style that intentionally incorporates imperfections and a relaxed aesthetic. Now that I’ve experienced it with three different timers, I must admit it sounds like elevator music to me.) 

(Note: I’ve yet to figure out what Xmas mode does. The toggle turns green, but otherwise? Nada)

Similar to web-based timer apps, you may also want to explore browser-extension options, like:

  • Marinara: Pomodoro® Assistant is a Chrome extension — Marinara creates a toolbar icon for the countdown timer. You can configure preferred work session times, and it offers both short breaks for between sessions and (configurable) longer intervals between cycles. There are 20+ audio alerts, and you can add ticking sounds if that’s your jam. Track your stats and history to gauge when you have been the most productive. You can also set automatic timers. It’s free.
  • Momentum Dash is another Chrome extension — It combines a beautiful nature photo and motivational quote with a countdown timer, all on your browser’s “new tab” page. Set up your tasks, create different timer modes, add mantras, customize sounds, and show the number of days counting down to a deadline. The Plus version is $3.33/month and includes Spotify and YouTube sound integration, task app integrations, site blockers and more.

  • Otto is yet another Chrome extension. — The free “core” features include unlimited Pomodoros, the ability to block an unlimited number of distracting websites, and the option to create 3 tasks, each up to 15 minutes in length. For real power, the Pro level (at $24/year for $59 for lifetime use) offers an unlimited number of tasks up to 60 minutes in length and other up-leveled features.

Integrated Timer Apps

Some timer apps and programs can integrate with software you’re already using. Note, timers at this level are less intuitive but do more heavy lifting than basic timers. If you are already using the software platforms with which these timers integrate, that goes in the win column, but if you aren’t already dependent on the multi-featured software programs, it’s oversell.

  • FocusMode by Geekbot integrates with Slack, so whether you’re doing the corporate thing or are living the start-up dream inside your Slack channels, FocusMode can help you stay the course. Tell FocusMode what you’ll be working on and for how long; as the timer (silently) ticks down, all your notifications will be automatically switched off and Do Not Disturb will be activated. FocusMode is free.
  • Pomodoro Tracker is similar to FocusMode and is designed to help you track your Pomodoro efforts while integrating with Slack. (But I think they missed an opportunity to call it Pomodoro Slacker.) 
  • Pomello is for followers of both Pomodoro and Kanban, as it integrates with Trello. The basic version is free, while the Pro version is $20/year and offers custom sounds, the ability to export your data, and lets you view Trello checklist items as focus tasks.

Timer Apps and Programs

Session

Session for MacOS and iOS for iPhone, iPad, and AppleWatch  — For an Apple lover like myself, I’m intrigued that Session boasts so many features, even if it’s kind of kooky to spend real money on a digital timer. True, it’s not just a timer (but remember what I’ve said about not acquiring features you don’t already need!)

Session syncs across Apple devices, integrates with your calendar, lets you customize work and break timer lengths, offers a Mac menu bar app (so it floats atop other windows), and has nifty keyboard shortcuts and a notes section so you don’t have to go searching for information.

You can also see detailed analytics of your focused work efforts — and to boost that focus, the Mac version will block apps and websites. And if co-workers are the reason you can’t get work done? It integrates with Slack! Set a custom status when you start focusing so they’ll leave you alone. You can also have a visual as well as digital timer.

The free plan offers a unlimited basic Pomodoro timers, analytic data from your past two days working, and the ability to view your calendar from inside Session, but the paid versions (Pro Monthly at $4.99/month or or Pro Yearly at $39.99/year) offer all the fancy features, customizations, app and website blocking, automations, and other goodies.

After you set your focus intention and timer, Sessions gives you a meditative breathing exercise to prepare you for work. Ommmmm.

Flow

Flow is a clean, basic Mac and iOS timer. — At the free level, you get an interval-based timer with multiple duration options for your work and breaks, as well as statistics and graphs (synced to your iCloud account) to give you insight into your focus and work habits.

If you upgrade to the Pro level, Flow additionally offers a timer sync, more customizable duration and session cycle settings, the ability to customize your session title, advanced session controls, app and web blocking, Apple Calendar sync, and the ability to export your timer data, all for $1.49/month.

Forest

Forest is a fun timer for iOS and Android users, and has a Chrome extension for those seeking an in-browser option — Forest uses playful gamification, knowing your seems-like-a-pipe-dream hope of not getting distracted may need more than a buzzer to achieve success. The iOS version is $3.99; currently the Andoird version is ad-supported.

When you’re ready to focus, you “plant” a cartoon tree. As you continue working, the timer counts down and the tree on your screen grows in front of you (to the sound of calming forest audio, if you like).

If you put yourself in Deep Focus Mode but then leave the app to do something else on your phone, your tree dies. (For Millennial readers who have just been reminded of your dearly departed Tamagotchis, I’m so sorry.) 

With each focus session, you “complete” trees, and over the weeks and months using the app, you grow a forest. Yes, it’s cutesie, but Forest is not without serious analytics. Tag your focus sessions by categories, note trends, and can track when you’re most productive.

While Forest has charm, I imagine that if you’re tempted to watch your forest grow while you’re working rather than waiting until your rest break, your focus will suffer from distraction. But if you’ve got patience, you will be rewarded.

Bear Focus Timer

The Bear Focus Timer is silly. But sometimes we need something silly to keep us motivated, especially when we need longer breaks that we can take and more snacks than we have on hand. From the creator:

Tom is a friendly bear, except when you cannot concentrate. He will do his best to help you focus on something!

Just place your screen face down and focus on what you do.
A variety of white noise will help you focus more.
If you concentrate well, Tom will praise you.
You can change the session time in the settings.
You can reset the timer by pressing Tom’s belly button.

Please keep in mind that Tom can also enjoy fishing when you are focused.

Customize your focus time, short and long breaks, the number of sessions, and the audio accompaniment…and hang out with Tom, the bear.

This iOS-only app is $1.99 in the App Store.

Moosti

Moosti is a gorgeous and deceptively simple timer; it’s fully compatible with iOS, macOS, watchOS, and visionOS. In addition to the traditional timer options, it sets a whole atmosphere with beautiful visual environments and Lo-Fi soundscapes. 

Moosti also offers breathing exercises and guided meditations to support focused work. Moosti is free, with in-app purchases.

The app stores are full of timer apps. If there’s an app that appeals to you (and costs nothing), experiment with it for at least a week; if it doesn’t float your boat, delete it before seeking a new timer. 

Online Timers

LifeAt

My colleague Stephanie Denton has recommended LifeAt, a Pomodoro timer within an immersive experience for artificial accountability.

LifeAt blends a timer with virtual spaces, combining visual environments, ambiance, sounds, and musical integration. 

The free 7-day trial includes 1,000+ focus video and image spaces, unlimited focus sounds & ambiance, online co-working communities, widgets (including task lists, a calendar, the Pomodoro timer, breathwork exercise, and more). The Pro version provides unlimited tasks and projects, a multi-calendar and task-to-calendar integration, and a daily planner. LifeAt Pro is $16/month, though when I signed up for the free account, it offered Pro at half off.

There are beautiful video landscapes, cozy fires, animated neighborhoods and more, so you have myriad options for finding your LifeAt “space” to set up your timer and features. My personal favorite is this window because, while I like looking at nature, I don’t even want to pretend to get too close.

If creating a new environment is part of your focus routine, you might want to check out Flow and Faux (Accountability): Productivity, Focus, and Alex Trebek to see how you can incorporate timers and faux environments.

YouTube Channels with Timers

YouTube is awash with timer videos requiring no downloads or expense. (Most are designed for Pomodoros, so know that the time will not be customizable for your specific needs.)

Just use YouTube’s search bar for “focus timers” and “pomodoro” timers and you’ll get a variety of options like these, which will let you just jump in to a series of timed sessions. And yes, they all seem to be backed by Lo-Fi music. (Forewarned is forearmed, and wow, wouldn’t we be more productive if we had four arms!)

 

 

 

Believe it or not, this only touches on a small percentage of the more popular digital timers at your disposal. Next time, in the final installment of this series, we’ll finish up with hybrid timers that combine tangible, analog options with digital ones for special purposes. There will also be some special bonus material! Whoohoo!

Until then, which of these might you use or recommend to students, colleagues, or anyone else who faces focus obstacles? Would you grow a forest or press a bear’s belly button?  

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