How to study with friends using a shared Pomodoro timer

Choose a time when everyone can stay for at least one focus session and a break. Each person should arrive with a small goal: outline an essay section, finish a problem set or review a specific topic. You do not need to study the same subject.

Agree that conversation waits until the break, unless someone needs urgent help. If you use a separate voice call, decide whether to mute during focus time. Octodoro’s lobby coordinates the timer; it is not a video-call service.

1. Each person creates a free Octodoro account or signs in to an existing one, then opens the timer.
2. Find Lobby in the Together group. Browse the public rooms or use Create to set up a room with a recognisable name.
3. Share the room’s invite code with your friends. They can use the code to join the same room; a private room requires its code.
4. Check the member list before starting so everyone knows they are in the right place. You can close the lobby panel and stay in the room while working.

Inside the lobby, propose a focus session and choose its duration. Members can vote on the proposal. Once approved, the room shows a countdown to the shared start. The host also has a confirmed start-without-voting option.

Before proposing, check that everyone is ready and has stated their goal. A 25-minute session is a useful first experiment. If someone arrives late, they can join the remaining part of a running session instead of asking everyone else to restart.

When focus ends, each person records their own completed session. Use the break for a quick check-in: what got done, what was difficult and what comes next? Keep any detailed explanation for a separate discussion so the whole group is not waiting.

For example, try two 25-minute focus sessions with a 5-minute break between them. At the end, spend a few minutes comparing the work you completed with your original goals. Choose a longer rest before adding more sessions.

A shared timer works best when its length suits the people using it. If one person is writing and another is doing short recall exercises, agree on a compromise or work in separate sessions and meet for the break.

Use Friends to reconnect with people you enjoy studying with. When you finish, leave the lobby through its controls. If the host leaves while other members remain, the room can pass to another member; check who is hosting before planning another start.