A countdown on Mac. Start with a duration.

A countdown begins with a duration and counts toward its end. That suits a short break or a bounded work sprint. A stopwatch counts upward and is useful when you do not yet know how long a task will take. A Pomodoro adds a focus-and-break structure rather than merely displaying remaining time.

For an arbitrary duration, start with Clock: open Timers, set the amount and choose Start. Apple's app supports custom timers and its own controls. NotchPop's countdown card is a convenient preset surface; it does not mirror the Clock app's entire timer collection.

1. Open NotchPop's timer/focus panel.
2. Choose Coffee for 5 minutes, Break for 10 or Sprint for 25.
3. Check the remaining-time display to confirm a countdown is running.
4. Use Stop if the task ends early, then select a new preset for a separate session.

Keep a clear reason for the timer: return to a draft, finish reviewing a document or take a break from the screen. The label is a reminder of a task, not proof the task completed. For a work-and-rest cycle with adjustable focus duration, use the separate Pomodoro guide.

Try a short, low-stakes session before relying on a timer during a longer workflow. Check the visible state and what happens when the countdown ends in the app version you use. Clock's behavior and NotchPop's behavior should not be assumed identical, especially across sleep or an app being quit.

If you need to measure how long something took, the stopwatch avoids guessing a starting duration. If your background task needs the Mac to remain awake, Keep Awake is a separate control; starting a countdown does not substitute for checking sleep behavior or the task's own result.