Show HN: Physical Pomodoro Timer with ESP32 and e-paper screen

Physical pomodoro: <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Il_pomod...>

Exactly what i thought of as well. That's what i always used to use.

That’s where the concept and name come from. “Pomodo” means “tomato” in Italian, and the author of the technique had one of those. The image comes from its Wikipedia page.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique

Correction: "pomodoro" means "tomato".

Yep. Any timer will do.

If you find yourself programming an eInk display and a microchip in order to improve your procrastination, it is time to stop working on the project, get a physical timer, and work on the thing.

If you feel inclined to shop around for a timer before getting to work, I'll save you the search. These work great. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TLC9SFZ (but any timer will do).

Go do the thing. You're worth it.

Indeed.

I tend to like quiet visual timers, though.

Something like:

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/63f18bde-f179-4b8e-a32a-8e4...

Of course that's an easier solution to the problem.

OP is quite clear in the writeup that this is a project for the sake of trying new tools to make something for a friend.

A fun hack need not be constrained by meeting a real market need. It can just be fun.

Watches that are already on most people's wrist work great too!

It's a joke. Pomodoro means tomato.

Yep. I think a timer with a physical dial is much more pleasant and easier to work with. I really hate things with knobs when there is nothing to click. A talking/voice controlled pomodoro is also a very nice idea for a ESP32.

But it's also not a joke.

Pomodoro timers are designed to increase productivity. But once of the things that many people who try to increase their productivity discover is that they sink so much time into these tools that they are less productive. Because the underlying procrastination isn't solved, and these tools are a wonderful outlet for procrastination because it feels productive.

That may indeed not be OP's problem, but anyone looking at this saying "I need to be more productive, I should make one of these" would be better off with the tomato.

It's interesting that your experience is different, but in my region and social circles, I haven't seen anyone wear a watch in ten years or more, other than the occasional smart watch. That habit doesn't seem to last long, either. For people I know, watches have turned into fashion accessories for millionaires.

They also sell physical hourglasses if you don't want to be interrupted by a distracting beeping thing once the timer is over, especially if the activity you're trying to start with a pomodoro requires concentration like coding.

I wear a watch. Nothing fancy, but I do have a few of them (and none worth more than 2-£300.) it’s about the only accessory I wear so it’s nice to have some variety. My day to day is a smart watch (and has been for a few years now). Lots of my circle is similar.

I’m pretty sure that’s the origin of the term

Probably just demographics. I live in a mountainous city that's very outdoorsy and athletic so everyone has a garmin/apple watch.

If you can stand the ticking noise. ;)

Personally, I like the look of these disc-based ones: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/618WCXnyfXL._SL1500_.jpg

But then you have to glance at the thing every few minutes to ensure it didn’t run out

Thank you for the correction. It was a typo, but it’s unfortunately too late to edit the post.

No problem, I wasn't sure so I had to go looking, and I figured I'd post a correction for anyone who saw it.

It builds muscle memory over time.

Analysis paralysis and getting it perfect before beginning is the enemy of good.

Do not underestimate the joy of using something beautiful and something one crafted. Those little bit of joy add up in the end.

At least, they matter to me. I “smartened” an energy meter with an ESP32 and a photoresistor that measures every blink from the energy meter. It’s really crude but it works and everytime I go in the garage, I see the little device blink and it brings me joy. It brings me determination to pursue the next project and motivates me to no end. I know I can build stuff and that I can succeed. I know I can progress in life.

It will probably sound stupid but that’s how I interpret the author’s project.

I attached an ESP32 and accelerometer to an hourglass for this purpose, calling back to https://pypi.org/project/gitime/ to log pomodoros on my dev machine.

If it was overengineered and trivially redundant, it was relatable and tactile.

> other than the occasional smart watch. That habit doesn't seem to last long, either.

I'm gonna go on a whim and say the habit doesn't last cause you cannot truly depend on them. My watch never leaves my wrist, it never fails me, it is just a "dumb" one.

That's a very unhelpful link if you want to buy or comparison shop. Online walmart sells over 300 different styles of countdown timer, including ones shaped like a tomato. Note that the Pomadoro Technique recommends a timer that ticks or makes some other unobtrusive sound to remind you that you are in focus mode, and to associate the sound with focus.

https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/countdown-timers

LOL, read the one star reviews [0]. The problem with the mechanical ones is they are shoddy these days and can't be depended on. It seems no one knows how to make a high quality mechanical timer any more.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B07H59ZL1L/ref=acr_se...

Simple and tactile; a user interface anyone understands