NoRush feature
A focus timer that lets you see time
Numbers counting down are easy to ignore. NoRush shows time as a colored disc that gets smaller, and tells you the real clock time you will be done.
In short
The NoRush timer is a disc that shrinks as your session passes, in the app and in the floating bubble. Next to it are exact clock times: "ends 2:04 PM" and "done around 3:45 PM". Over time it learns how long things really take you and adjusts its estimates.
9:20
ends 2:04 PM
Things take you about 1.4× your guess, so this is planned as 21 min.
Why time needs to be visible
Trouble sensing time is one of the most consistent findings in ADHD research. Reviews of the evidence describe differences in estimating how long something will take, in feeling time pass, and in judging how much is left. People often call it time blindness.1 2
Barkley's answer is to "externalize time": take it out of your head and put it where your eyes are.3 A shrinking shape does that better than digits, because you can read it in a glance without doing any math.
Everyone also underestimates how long tasks take. Psychologists call it the planning fallacy.4 So a good timer should not trust your first guess forever.
How it works in NoRush
- A shrinking disc. The colored part is the time you have left. When it is gone, the session is over.
- Clock times, never "soon". Every timer shows when it ends, and the Today list shows when you would finish everything.
- It learns your pace. If things usually take you 1.4 times your guess, NoRush quietly plans with that number.
- A two-minute heads-up. Before a session ends, a quiet note helps you get ready to switch. Switching is hard with ADHD.
- One default, three alternatives. A session is 25 minutes unless you change it. Shorter and longer options are one click away.
- A halfway check-in and break reminders. An optional "still on it?" halfway through, and a suggested break after 90 focused minutes in a row.
Getting the most from it
- Add a time to the end of a task as you type it, such as "email Sam 15m". It becomes the estimate.
- If 25 minutes feels like a wall, start with 5. The right session length is the one you will actually start.
- Look at the finish time when you plan. "Done around 6:40 PM" is a clearer warning than a long list.
What it does not do
The timer does not lock you in. You can pause, add time or stop whenever you like. NoRush tracks focus time only so it can show you your own day, and that history stays with your tasks.
Who uses it most
College students, Graduate students, Freelancers, Designers. Each of those pages shows where visual focus timer fits into a working day.
Try visual focus timer on your own tasks
NoRush is free for 7 days with every feature included. No sign-up and no card.
Add to Chrome, free for 7 daysQuestions people ask
Is this a Pomodoro timer?
It can be. The default session is 25 minutes with a 5 minute break, which matches the classic Pomodoro pattern. You can change both. See whether Pomodoro works for ADHD.
Does the timer keep running if I close the tab?
Yes. The timer runs in the background, and the bubble shows it on every tab.
How does NoRush learn my pace?
It compares your estimates with how long finished tasks really took, then uses that ratio for projected finish times. It never changes your estimates for you.
Sources
- Ptacek R, Weissenberger S, Braaten E, et al. (2019). Clinical implications of the perception of time in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a review. Medical Science Monitor, 25.
- Weissenberger S, Schonova K, Büttiker P, et al. (2021). Time perception is a focal symptom of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults. Medical Science Monitor, 27.
- Barkley RA. The important role of executive functioning and self-regulation in ADHD (fact sheet). russellbarkley.org.
- Buehler R, Griffin D, Ross M (1994). Exploring the "planning fallacy": why people underestimate their task completion times. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(3).