One minute is just the right length for things that lose their value when they drag on: a breathing exercise, a plank, a screen break or the contact time of a face mask. Press Start above and an alarm sounds when the 60 seconds are up.
What a 1-minute timer is good for
Counting 60 seconds in your head is harder than it sounds; most people stop early. Letting a clock do the counting frees your attention for what you are actually doing. Common uses include:
- Guided breathing: in box breathing you inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4 and hold for 4. Four full cycles take just over a minute and can take the edge off nerves before an exam, a meeting or a tough conversation.
- The plank: a 60-second plank is a classic goal for beginners. If you are not there yet, start with 20 or 30 seconds, then add 5 seconds a week.
- Desk stretches: holding a stretch for about 30 seconds is usually enough to feel a muscle release. One minute covers both sides.
- Personal care: masks, exfoliants and mouthwashes often say "leave on for 1 minute". Going over rarely helps and can irritate your skin.
- Short intervals: one minute on, one minute off is a simple format for squats, jumping jacks or jump rope.
Getting more out of the minute
Breathing: make the exhale longer
Research on slow breathing suggests that lengthening the exhale engages the parasympathetic nervous system, the part tied to relaxation. An easy pattern is to breathe in for a count of 4 and out for a count of 6. Breathe through your nose, drop your shoulders and keep the rhythm steady until the alarm. No fancy technique is needed; consistency is what counts.
Plank: quality beats duration
Keep your body in a straight line from heels to head, abs braced, hips neither sagging nor piking. When your lower back starts to give way, stop: a clean 30-second plank is worth more than 90 seconds of arching. Use the +1 min button to progress once 60 seconds feels easy.
An eye break
If you work at a screen, take a one-minute break from it each hour: look at something far away through a window, blink slowly a few times and relax your forehead. It costs nothing and eases eye strain.
Tips for using this page
- Leave the sound on: the alarm repeats until you click Stop alarm.
- Need more or less time? Type minutes and seconds in the custom field, for example 0 min and 45 s.
- On a phone, keep the screen on; the page asks the device not to dim it while the clock runs.
- The remaining time shows in the tab title, so you can follow along from another window.
For longer efforts, try the 2, 3 or 5-minute timers just below.
Other durations
See also the customizable online timer, the online stopwatch and the workout timers (CrossFit, Tabata, EMOM).