# Kaizen

> A Pomodoro timer with Focus Rooms for studying together. Kaizen pairs personal focus sessions with real-time "body doubling": quiet virtual rooms where you work alongside other people, no video required. Free to start on iOS, Android, Web, and Windows.

Kaizen uses the Pomodoro Technique (focused work intervals with short breaks) and adds Focus Rooms, where members run their own timers and see each other's status (focusing, on a short or long break, paused, away, or idle) and focus tag. It also tracks time against tasks automatically, includes a habit tracker fed by the timer, offers a growing set of timer backgrounds (including animated ones) and focus music, and records streaks and statistics. Available in 7 languages.

## Features

- [Pomodoro Timer](https://my-kaizen.com/features): Presets (Classic 25/5, Quick, Extended, Long Focus 90/15) plus custom 5 to 180 minute sessions. Background-accurate, immersive mode.
- [Focus Rooms](https://my-kaizen.com/features/focus-rooms): Real-time virtual co-working for 2 to 50 people. See each member's status and focus tag. Joining rooms is free, public ones from the list and private ones with an 8-character code; creating rooms and sharing your active task need Premium. Body doubling without video.
- [Task Management](https://my-kaizen.com/features/task-management): A one-line capture Inbox (uncapped) feeding a one-way flow of Inbox, To Do, Completed, Logbook. Priorities, due dates, automatic time tracking, subtasks (up to 25 per task) and time estimates, all free, plus free due-date reminders (13 lead times, from at-due to 1 week before; a default lead time and default priority for new tasks can be set once in task settings). Up to 7 tasks free; unlimited on Premium.
- [Habit Tracking](https://my-kaizen.com/features/habit-tracking): Check-off and focus-time habits; focus-time habits complete automatically from Pomodoro minutes. Schedule-aware forgiving streaks (skips and rest days never break the chain), a consistency percentage and trend chart, daily/set-days/times-per-week schedules, unlimited backdating, smart reminders at any time of day. Up to 5 habits free; unlimited on Premium.
- [Themes and Music](https://my-kaizen.com/features): Timer backgrounds across six collections (lofi, nature, city, cozy, space, minimal), some of them animated video loops, with new ones added regularly. Every still background is free, and so are most animated ones; a small number of animated backgrounds are Premium. Focus music across Lo-fi, Ambient, Nature, White Noise, and Classical, saved for offline listening after the first play.
- [Statistics](https://my-kaizen.com/features): Streaks and analytics. Focus tags label each session (Work, Study, Personal and more) for a Focus by Tag breakdown of where your time goes. Last 30 days free; all-time on Premium.

## Pricing

- [Pricing](https://my-kaizen.com/pricing): Free forever (full timer, every still background, free music, streaks, up to 7 tasks plus an unlimited Inbox, subtasks and estimates, 5 habits, task and habit reminders, joining any room, 30-day stats). Premium is EUR 3.99/month or EUR 39.99/year (about 16% less), with a 14-day free trial.

## Differentiators

Kaizen combines a Pomodoro timer with Focus Rooms in one app. Unlike Focusmate (booked 1-on-1 video coworking, camera required) or Forest (a tree timer with app blocking and a friends-only group mode), Kaizen offers group presence with no camera or microphone, across phone, web, and desktop.

## Platforms

- [Web App](https://my-kaizen.app/): Run Kaizen in the browser, installable as a PWA.
- [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6755314708): iOS.
- [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maxkruiswegt.kaizen): Android.
- [Microsoft Store](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9MV8DVZ52JQS): Windows.

## Guides

- [What is body doubling?](https://my-kaizen.com/body-doubling): Definition, origin in ADHD coaching, what the peer-reviewed research does and does not show (survey evidence, null EEG result, the presence-versus-pressure spectrum), and how to do it without a camera. Fully sourced.
- [Virtual study rooms](https://my-kaizen.com/virtual-study-room): The four kinds of online study room (live video, scheduled 1:1, Discord servers, camera-free presence rooms), what makes one work, and how to set one up with friends.
- [Focusmate alternatives](https://my-kaizen.com/alternatives/focusmate): Focusmate, Flow Club, StudyStream, Discord, study-with-me videos, Forest Plant Together, and Kaizen compared on camera, scheduling, free tier, price, and platforms, sorted by what you want instead. Prices checked September 2026.
- [Forest alternatives](https://my-kaizen.com/alternatives/forest): Forest, Kaizen, Pomofocus, Flocus, LifeAt, StudyStream, and Focusmate compared on blocking, social features, tasks, price, and platforms. Prices checked September 2026.

## About

- [About Kaizen](https://my-kaizen.com/about): Built and run by one developer, Max Kruiswegt (Haarlem, the Netherlands). The origin story, the principles behind it, and how to reach him.
- [Changelog](https://my-kaizen.com/changelog): Every release since launch, newest first, with dates and platform tags.

## Links

- [Discord](https://discord.gg/ZkEq5S6Bcd): Community.
- [X/Twitter](https://x.com/mykaizenapp): @mykaizenapp
- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/mykaizenapp/): @mykaizenapp

## Optional

- [Privacy Policy](https://my-kaizen.com/privacy): GDPR compliant, EU-hosted.
- [Terms](https://my-kaizen.com/terms): Legal terms.