Workday Timer
Your personal productivity command center
Water Tracker
0/8Today's Tasks
Daily Notes
Today's Stats
What is the Workday Timer?
The Workday Timer is a holistic productivity tool for structuring and tracking your entire workday. Unlike simple Pomodoro timers or task lists, this tool combines multiple functions: visual timeline of your workday (start, breaks, end), task management with priorities, water drinking reminders, break timers, and notes field. The goal: a complete overview of your workday in a single interface.
The tool visualizes your day as a progress bar showing your position between work start and end. You define your work hours, lunch breaks, and planned end time – the timer then shows how much time remains and how you're on schedule. Task checkboxes help track tasks, while the water counter reminds you about hydration. Break timers motivate regular breaks after Pomodoro or custom intervals.
Especially valuable for freelancers without fixed office structure, remote workers who need self-discipline, ADHD individuals with structure needs, or anyone who wants to design their workday more consciously. The tool doesn't replace time tracking software, but is a personal companion for focused, healthy workdays. All data stays local – no tracking by employers or third parties.
How does the Workday Timer work?
1. Configure Work Hours
Set your work start time (e.g., 9:00 AM), lunch break duration (30-60 min), and planned end time (e.g., 5:00 PM). Adjust water drinking goals (e.g., 8 glasses per day) and break intervals (25 min Pomodoro, 50 min deep work, or custom) according to your preferences. These settings define your day's timeline visualization.
2. Enter Tasks
Add your tasks for the day. You don't need to plan detailed time blocks – just list the tasks to be completed. Check off tasks when done. The completion rate flows into your daily statistics. Optionally, you can prioritize or categorize tasks to maintain focus.
3. Use Timeline and Reminders
The visual timeline shows your current position in the workday. Green = on track, Yellow = end approaching, Red = overtime. The water reminder increments with a click – track hydration consciously. Break timers beep after the set interval and remind you to stand up, stretch, or step outside briefly. These micro-breaks improve focus and health.
4. Notes and Reflection
Use the notes field for thoughts, blockers, learnings, or spontaneous ideas during the day. In the evening: review your stats (tasks completed, water goal reached, work duration), reflect on the day, and plan for tomorrow. This daily retrospective improves self-awareness and productivity trends long-term.
Practical Use Cases
Freelancers with Flexible Work Hours
Freelancers without fixed office structure often struggle with self-discipline. The Workday Timer provides structure: Define "Today I'm working 9-5", track your tasks, and the timeline keeps you accountable. At the end, you see whether you kept your planned work time. Prevents both under- and overworking.
Remote Workers with Home Office Struggles
In home office, boundaries between work and private life blur. The timer helps: "Work end 5 PM" really means end – the timeline turns red when you exceed. Break reminders prevent working 6h straight without standing up. Water tracking promotes healthy habits. The tool is your virtual "office buddy" that reminds you of basics.
ADHD Management & Neurodiverse Workers
People with ADHD benefit from externalized structure. The Workday Timer offers: visual time representation (not just numbers), concrete checkboxes for task completion (dopamine hit), regular break interrupts (prevents hyperfocus exhaustion), and simple hydration reminders (often forgotten with ADHD). The tool compensates for executive function deficits through external scaffolding.
Project-Based Work with Variable Tasks
In project work (design, development, content), daily tasks vary greatly. The Workday Timer is flexible: every morning a new task list, no rigid time planning needed. You focus on "what", not "exactly when". The timeline only shows "Am I within workday frame?" – tasks can be worked in any order. Perfect for creative, non-linear workflows.
Health-Conscious Knowledge Workers
Long sitting and screen work have health costs. The Workday Timer integrates wellness: regular break reminders (every 25-50 min), water drinking tracking (dehydration reduces cognitive performance), and conscious work end time (prevents burnout from constant overtime). The tool promotes sustainable, healthy productivity instead of short-term hustle culture.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How is this different from time tracking software?
Time tracking tools (Toggl, Clockify) track exactly what you're working on and for how long – for billing or reporting. The Workday Timer isn't a tracking tool, but a personal companion: it provides structure, reminds you of breaks, visualizes your progress. It's about your workday quality, not exact minutes for client invoices. Use both in parallel if needed – they have different purposes.
Are my tasks or work hours saved anywhere?
No. All data (tasks, times, notes, water counter) stays exclusively local in your browser. There's no cloud synchronization, no server communication. Your employer cannot see what you enter. Nobody tracks your productivity except yourself. 100% private and GDPR compliant. If you clear browser cache, the data is gone.
What happens when I exceed my planned work time?
The timeline turns yellow (nearing work end) and then red (overtime). The timer doesn't stop or block anything – it only visualizes your deviation from plan. You decide whether to continue working or call it a day. The tool isn't authoritarian, but provides feedback. Regular overtime in red should motivate reflection: unrealistic planning? Too many tasks? Distractions?
Do I need to keep the tool open all day?
Ideally yes, at least visible in a tab or window. The timeline and break reminders only work when the page is loaded. Practical: pin the tab in your browser for permanent visibility, or open it on a second monitor. If you close the tab and return later, the timeline is no longer accurate – it only shows time while the page was open.
Can I have different workday configs for different days?
Currently the config is universal. If you have different work hours (e.g., Monday 9-5, Friday 9-3), you must manually adjust settings. Workflow: briefly set today's times in the morning, then start. Takes 30 seconds. Future versions might offer weekday presets ("Monday preset", "Friday preset"), but currently it's a one-config tool.
What's the difference between this and Pomodoro apps?
Pomodoro apps focus on 25-min intervals with breaks. The Workday Timer is more comprehensive: it shows your entire day (not just one Pomodoro), combines task tracking with breaks, and visualizes workday progress. You can choose Pomodoro as break interval, but the tool also offers other modes (50 min deep work, custom). It's a full-day companion, not just an interval timer.
Does this work for shift work or irregular hours?
Yes, but with manual adjustment. Shift workers can set their shift times each day (night shift: 10PM-6AM, early shift: 6AM-2PM). The tool is flexible in time selection. However: if you have very irregular, unplannable times, the tool is less useful – it works best with "Today I have planned work time X-Y" scenarios, even if X and Y vary daily.
Why is water drinking part of a productivity tool?
Because dehydration reduces cognitive performance. Studies show: 1-2% dehydration measurably reduces concentration, memory, and mood. Many knowledge workers drink too little during focused work. The water counter is a simple reminder – not a health tracker, but a productivity booster. If you drink enough, just ignore it. For many it's a helpful nudge.
Can I export daily stats or save history?
Currently not. The Workday Timer is a "live" tool for the current day. The next day everything starts fresh. There's no history or trend analysis over weeks/months. If you want to track long-term productivity trends, manually copy your stats in the evening (tasks completed, water goal, etc.) into a journal or spreadsheet. The tool is for daily awareness, not long-term analytics.
Is the tool for teams or just individuals?
Exclusively for individuals. There are no team features, no collaboration, no sharing. Everyone uses the tool for their own workday – privately and independently. Teams that need coordinated productivity tools should use team software (Asana, Notion, etc.). The Workday Timer is your personal, private tool for individual workday structuring.
Privacy Guarantee
- ✓ All tasks, times, and notes stay local
- ✓ No transmission to servers or third parties
- ✓ No productivity surveillance by employers
- ✓ All calculations happen client-side
- ✓ No tracking, no analytics, no cookies
- ✓ 100% GDPR/DSGVO compliant by design