The Problem
Time slips away too easily. How do we make it stick?
Ever notice how much easier it is to stay on task when you can actually see time passing? Whether you're working, teaching, running a meeting, or just trying to stay focused, making time visible helps you get things done.
But for some people, particularly those with executive function challenges like ADHD, this isn't just a nice-to-have. It's essential.
No, it's not a trend to excuse being late. Time-blindness is a real cognitive condition.
In a nutshell, people with this condition don't sense time passing the way other people do and they struggle to predict how long something will take. It's typically a feature of ADHD and is not due to laziness, but actually differences in brain structure, particularly the way the brain uses dopamine.
As a neurodiverse person, a teacher, and a parent of kids with ADHD, I know how tricky time blindness can be. Visual timers are a simple, powerful way to make time visible and help us stay on track.
But here's the thing: the visual timers online suck.
They epitomise "if you're not paying, then you're the product," covered in ads or tracking analytics. They are full of distraction when the whole point was to make your life easier by making time visible.
I wanted a timer I could use anywhere, without ads, trackers, or distractions. Something calm, colourful, and clear. That's how this visual timer came to life.
The Solution
Building solutions, not waiting for them
So, I built my own. It uses everything I know about managing distraction and reducing cognitive load. Which means it just works.
I realised, with the help of AI, I could build one that worked the way we need. No distractions, just time passing.
Most timers use the full circle no matter how long you set them, which can make 10 minutes look the same as 1 hour. This one's different. Five minutes always looks like five minutes.
I even designed it so that you can turn off distractions on the page itself. Once you're set, hide the configuration panel, the title, even the countdown numbers if you want. That way your executive function is always focused on the task at hand, not your screen.
The goal is simple: to help you focus, stay present, and get things done.
Free to use. No sign-up required. Built with accessibility in mind. No ads, no tracking, no cost to you.
I love it. And I just had to share it with you.
How to Use It
It's not just a pretty face!
This free online visual timer was designed for neurodivergent people, teachers, and anyone who needs to see time passing to get things done. It's perfect for classroom timers, ADHD time management, online meetings, and focus sessions.
People with time-blindness will need support to work to deadlines. A lot of these things are self-starters, using visual checklists and timers, for example.
As an ally in the workplace, not shaming people who use this kind of support is incredibly important. In fact, it's really great to normalise this across the team. What if you used a visual timer in every meeting?
Little known fact! Sometimes people compensate for time-blindness by hyper-scheduling: making a plan for every little thing so they aren't surprised by time passing. Sometimes these people don't even seem like they have ADHD, until something disrupts their schedule and they aren't able to cope. Please be kind to us when this happens ;)
The Bigger Picture
I built this timer because I got tired of waiting for someone else to solve the problem. As someone who teaches about AI inclusion and builds learning experiences for mission-driven organizations, I practice what I preach: when you see a problem you deeply understand, and you have tools available (like AI), why wait?
I'm not a "real" developer. I'm a self-taught "vibe coder" who uses AI to build things. And that's the point. This timer is proof that you don't need a computer science degree to create accessible, useful tools. You just need to understand the problem, care about solving it well, and be willing to learn.
About Me and Rad Learning
I'm Ren Everett, a Neurodivergent, Nonbinary educator with 20 years of experience in schools and adult education. For the last decade, I've focused on education technology, not just deploying it, but asking hard questions about how tech can facilitate or prevent good learning.
I founded Rad Learning to challenge the way organisations approach workplace learning. We design learning experiences for unions, social enterprises, nonprofits, and public service organisations. The kind of mission-driven places that care about real impact, not just ticking compliance boxes.
Our work focuses on two key areas:
Neurodiversity inclusion: Giving everyone in your team the tools you need to transform the way you work - creating a place where everyone can bring their best self.
AI inclusion: Teaching people how to use AI ethically and effectively, while understanding its limitations and biases.
Everything I build (whether it's this timer, a learning experience, or a custom chatbot) starts from the same principle: accessibility isn't optional. Default systems assume a "normal" that doesn't exist. Real inclusion means designing for the edges, not the middle.
This timer embodies that philosophy. It's transparent (I'm showing you exactly how it works and what data I collect). It's accessible (you can hide whatever distracts you). It's free (because good tools shouldn't be trapped behind paywalls or buried in ads). And it was built with AI assistance (to show how to use AI to fix the problems that you're passionate about).
The only data that I see is how many people visit the page and what country they are from. Just enough to get a little dopamine for myself and check if it's providing value.
Want to Learn More?
If this timer resonates with you, you might be interested in what we're building at Rad Learning.
We work with mission-driven organisations (unions, social enterprises, nonprofits, and public service teams) to create learning experiences that prioritise actual learning over completion metrics. If you're tired of tick-box training and want learning that sticks, we should talk.
Visit radlearning.com.au to learn more about our approach.
You can also connect with me directly:
Thanks for reading, and I hope this timer makes your life a little easier.
Ren