Timer & stopwatch guide
A Mac notch timer and stopwatch for everyday tasks
Not every task needs a Pomodoro cycle. Momo’s Focus tool includes a standalone countdown for a time limit and a stopwatch for measuring elapsed time, alongside its work-and-break mode.
Countdown or stopwatch: choose the question
Use Timer when you know how much time you want to spend: ten minutes to review email, fifteen minutes to rehearse a presentation or five minutes to tidy a draft. The countdown answers “How much time is left?”
Use Stopwatch when you do not know the duration yet, such as timing a practice run. It answers “How long has this taken?” Record laps to mark points within the same run. For repeating work and break intervals, choose Pomodoro instead; the separate focus guide covers that workflow.
Set a countdown without a work-and-break cycle
- Open the Focus tool and select Timer.
- Choose a preset: 5, 10, 15, 25, 45 or 60 minutes.
- For another duration, enter a value such as 25m, 1h30 or 10:00.
- Start the timer. Pause and resume if needed, or reset to end the activity.
Custom durations range from one second to 24 hours. If an entry is not understood, the app shows an error rather than silently choosing a duration. The collapsed island can show the running timer, letting you check it without leaving the full tool panel open.
Use stopwatch laps for a practice session
Select Stopwatch when you want to measure time as it accumulates. During a presentation rehearsal, record a lap at the end of each section so you can compare the parts of that run.
Momo runs one focus activity at a time. Finish or reset the current activity before starting another timer workflow. Treat stopwatch laps as markers for the current activity, not as a promise of a long-term time-tracking report.
Decide how the timer should get your attention
Settings includes timer and meeting notifications plus a separate notification-sound control. Notification access may need to be granted in macOS. Use Quiet Mode if you want to suppress Momo’s completion reactions and notifications during a call.
The timer is a cue, not an app or website blocker. Write down the task you are timing, and decide what to do at the end: stop, review the result or start another session.
Common questions
Can I set a ten-minute countdown?
Yes. Select the 10-minute preset in Timer, or enter a custom duration such as 10:00.
Can I run a stopwatch and Pomodoro together?
No. Momo runs one focus activity at a time.
Can I pause a countdown?
Yes. You can pause and resume the active timer, or reset it to end the activity.