30 Minute Timer

Half an hour, in numbers

Thirty minutes is 1,800 seconds. Two runs make an hour, and a full day is 48 half-hour blocks, which is why diaries are ruled in this unit and why most calendar apps open a new event at thirty minutes by default.

What half an hour is the standard for

• Meetings. Thirty is the default slot, and the reason so many of them run to it.
• Television. A half-hour slot is not half an hour of programme once the advertising is counted.
• Cooking stages, gym sessions, delivery windows and parking, all of which are quoted in halves.
• A revision block long enough to get past the settling-in and short enough to face twice.

Two ways to split it

Half an hour holds one pomodoro pair: a 25 minute block plus a five minute break. If that is too tight, 20 on and 10 off comes to the same thirty, and two runs of the 15 minute timer is the simplest split of all.

Before you rely on the tone

The countdown is measured against your device clock, so a tab left in the background still lands on time. A phone that puts itself to sleep may never play the sound. Do not lean on it for anything where a missed alarm costs you – medication, an exam, or a cooking step that burns.

Nearby lengths

Step up to 45 minutes or 1 hour, or browse the rest on the timer hub.