How the Progressive Pomodoro Rating System Works

The rating system is the heart of the Progressive Pomodoro technique. After every focus session the timer asks one question: how did it go? Your answer becomes the signal the timer uses to grow or shrink your next session.

The four ratings

Flow

You were fully absorbed. The timer adds the most time to your next session, and skips the break so you can continue while you are in the zone.

Focused

It went well. The timer adds a good amount to your next session and offers a break.

Fine

A solid, normal session. The timer still grows the next session, just by a smaller amount.

Distracted

It was a struggle. The timer shortens the next session so you can recover, down to a 2-minute minimum.

Ratings are suggestions, not orders

When you rate a session, the timer does not force a new length on you. It suggests one, and you confirm it. That keeps you in control: the ratings nudge the timer toward your real capacity, but a 90-minute deep work session only happens because you choose it.

What about breaks?

After a normal session the timer offers a break using your short break setting, which is 5 minutes by default and adjustable in the settings. A Flow rating skips the break entirely, so a great session can roll straight into the next one.

Why the changes are gentle

The adjustments are small on purpose. A strong rating adds a few minutes, a rough rating subtracts a few. Nothing jumps from 5 minutes to an hour overnight. That gradual drift is what makes the method sustainable: it mirrors how focus actually builds, in small, honest steps.

Try the rating system