Every new tab is a tiny decision point. If what greets you is a grid of your most-visited sites, the easiest decision is the one you've made a hundred times before: check the news, open the feed, glance at email. A focus dashboard flips that. The first thing you see is what you said you'd do, and how long is left in the current work block.
The four-widget focus layout
| Widget | Why it's there |
|---|---|
| Pomodoro timer | Visible proof that you're inside a work block — and permission to rest when it ends |
| To-do list | Three items for today, not thirty |
| Sticky notes | Somewhere to park a stray thought without opening a new tab |
| Clock & timer | The time, without a phone in your hand |
That's the whole thing. Weather, quotes and feeds are lovely, but on a focus layout they're optional extras. Add them later if you miss them.
Set it up with CentPage
- 1
Install CentPage
From the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons. New tabs now open your CentPage dashboard.
- 2
Add the four widgets
Enter edit mode and add Pomodoro, To Do List, Sticky Notes and Clock & Timer. All four are free.
- 3
Put the timer top-left
We read pages from the top-left. Make the timer the first thing your eyes land on.
- 4
Trim your link table
Keep only the tools you need for work — your docs, your project tracker, your calendar. Move social and news links out of the first row, or remove them.
- 5
Save
Save the layout. It now greets you on every new tab.
A simple daily rhythm
- 01Morning (2 min): write three to-dos. If something isn't in the top three, it isn't today's.
- 02Work blocks: start a 25-minute Pomodoro. Each time you open a new tab, the timer reminds you what you're in the middle of.
- 03Stray thoughts: jot them in a sticky note instead of searching them now.
- 04Breaks: when the timer ends, actually stop. Five minutes, then the next block.
- 05End of day: tick off what's done, move the rest to tomorrow, and save any open project windows as sessions so you start clean tomorrow.
Make the rest of the browser match
- Close project tabs safely. Save each project's window as a session in Super Session Manager and close it — the tabs come back in one click.
- Cut the tab count. Our system for taming 100+ tabs pairs well with a focus layout.
- Keep research reproducible. If your work involves sources, archive the important ones as you go with Web Archive Viewer so a changed page never derails you later.
FAQ
What is the best Pomodoro new tab extension?
One that puts the timer where you already look. CentPage adds a Pomodoro widget alongside to-dos and notes on every new tab, for Chrome and Firefox.
Will a dashboard on the new tab page slow my browser?
A handful of widgets loads quickly. Keep the focus layout small and add heavier widgets such as feeds only if you need them.
Can I use different layouts for work and home?
Use edit mode to switch your link tables and widgets, or keep a focus layout on your work browser profile and a fuller one at home.