A pomodoro session is a structured sequence of focused work intervals separated by short rests. Ceum runs the sequence inside the time tracker and creates a time entry for each productive step automatically. You can only run one sequence at a time, and it stays in sync live across your tabs and devices.
Setting up a sequence
Three settings shape a sequence:
- Productive duration — how long each focused step lasts (default 15 minutes; from 1 minute up to 4 hours).
- Short rest duration — how long each rest lasts (default 5 minutes; from 30 seconds up to 1 hour).
- Iterations — how many productive steps the sequence has (default 3; from 1 to 12).
These settings are locked in when the sequence starts, so changing them mid-sequence won't disturb the timer that's already running.
Starting a sequence
From the Time tracker page, click Start Pomodoro. You can optionally provide:
- Name — used as the name of every time entry the sequence creates.
- Task — links every created entry to that task.
You can only have one sequence active at a time, so starting a new one while another is running isn't allowed. Any running continuous-mode timer is stopped first.
How the steps run
A sequence alternates productive steps and rests: productive, rest, productive, rest, and so on, ending on a productive step. So 4 iterations gives you 4 productive periods with 3 short rests between them.
Each step is upcoming, active, or done. Productive steps create time entries; rest steps don't, but their elapsed time is still tracked on the step itself.
What you can do per step
- Pause — stops timing the active productive step but keeps the step active.
- Resume — starts timing the same step again (pausing and resuming as often as you like is fine — the time still adds up correctly).
- Proceed — move on to the next step manually, finishing the current one early.
- Auto-advance — happens on its own when a step's planned time runs out. The entry is recorded as lasting exactly its planned duration, so your tracked durations stay precise.
How time entries are created
- Starting a productive step starts a new running time entry.
- Pausing ends that entry and marks it finished.
- Resuming starts a new entry for the same step.
- Proceeding or auto-advancing closes the current entry and starts the next step's.
- Rest steps create no entries.
Every entry inherits the sequence's name and task. If you update the sequence's name or task mid-run, the change flows to every linked entry.
Discarding a sequence
When you discard a sequence you choose what happens to the time it tracked:
- Delete tracked time — removes every time entry the sequence created, along with the sequence.
- Keep tracked time — detaches the entries so they survive as standalone time entries, and removes the sequence.
Live sync
Every change to a sequence syncs immediately to your other open tabs and devices — open the time tracker on a second device and watch the timer keep ticking from the same place. See Realtime updates.
Audio and notifications
You'll get audio cues and browser notifications when a step completes, so you know when to switch between focus and rest without watching the screen.
Tips and edge cases
- One at a time. You can't run two sequences in parallel from the same account.
- Iteration math. 4 iterations means productive-rest-productive-rest-productive-rest-productive — 4 productive periods and 3 short rests.
- Pausing is free. Pause as many times as you want — the totals stay correct.
- Auto-advance uses planned time. An auto-advanced entry shows a duration equal to its planned length, not the exact wall-clock moment the timer fired.
On mobile
The mobile app runs pomodoro from the time-tracker tab too. Switch the tab to Pomodoro mode and tap the gear to set productive duration, short-rest duration, and iterations in a native bottom sheet (the web uses a dialog). The running session shows a large countdown, a progress bar, and the same contextual Pause / Resume / Proceed / End controls; steps auto-advance even when the tab isn't focused.