Your 8 minute timer is ready
The timer is already set to 8 minutes. Press Start and the countdown begins: the digits, the progress bar and the tab title all show the time left. When it reaches zero, the sound rings until you stop it. Eight minutes sits between a jammy and a hard-boiled egg, and it is a good length for a short sprint on one small task.
What an 8 minute timer is good for
- Fudgy egg: About 8 minutes gives a yolk that is just set, soft and fudgy, perfect on a salad or avocado toast. For a fully set yolk, use the 9 minute timer.
- One mile at an 8-minute pace: Start the timer as you start your mile and try to finish before the sound.
- Focus sprint: Clear your inbox, pay a bill or draft a short reply in one go.
- Steamed dumplings: Many frozen dumplings steam in about 8 to 10 minutes. Check the package.
- Resting meat: Let a steak or pork chops rest for 5 to 10 minutes after cooking so the juices settle.
- Reading aloud: Read one chapter of a children’s book before lights out.
- Stretch routine: Eight stretches of one minute each, from neck to ankles.
8 minutes in seconds, and what fits in them
8 minutes is 480 seconds. Sunlight takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to travel from the Sun to Earth, so the light you see outside left the Sun a little more than eight minutes ago.
A tip for your 8 minutes
Running? The countdown tells you whether you beat 8 minutes, but not your exact time. For that, use the stopwatch and press Lap at each mile. For eggs, the egg timer has the full chart, from runny to hard-boiled.
How to use the 8 minute timer
- Press Start. The countdown runs from 8 minutes down to zero.
- Pick a sound if you like. Turn the list to hear a bell, a chime, a classic beep, a digital beep or a gentle rise.
- Switch tabs freely. The countdown follows your device clock and stays exact. Keep this tab open to hear the sound.
- Stop the sound at zero, or tap +1 min if you need a little longer.
Need another length? Turn the minute wheel, or tap the digits and type the time on the keypad. The online timer also has presets for cooking, sport and relaxing, and a full screen mode that makes the countdown readable from across the room.