I’ve tried using my phone’s timer for homework, but notifications keep pulling me out of the assignment. Putting the phone across the room helps until I need to check the timer. Can a standalone focus timer replace it for study sessions, or am I using the wrong term for that?
You’ll want to silence your phone, but a standalone timer eliminates any excuse to pick it up. A standalone focus timer makes perfect sense. If you want to physically use a device then a digital countdown timer or visual timer are good options. However, there is no need to have a specific study timer.
If you’re doing homework on a laptop, a browser timer is another way to separate timing from your phone. The Clever Humanizer Study Timer at clever humanizer has a particularly useful touch: it shows the countdown in the browser tab title, so you can check the remaining time without switching away from your assignment. That’s a good fit for the exact interruption you’re describing, though it isn’t a physical standalone timer.
For paper assignments I would likely go with a physical timer. Check that the ticking or alarm sound won’t be annoying. This way it will give you a quick way to check the time without accessing your messages.