It’s Tuesday, and on Tuesdays we take a peek at writing tools. Some are great, some not so much, but I am learning to be a craftsman, and the important thing about craft is the tool box. At least that is what Stephen King tells me.

Today’s tools were a Christmas gift from my son. He intended that I would use them in the kitchen while cooking, but they of course ended up in my office on my desk.
These adorable cube timers have a time on each face, and when the time is facing up, the timer is running for that time period. One cube has 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes. The second covers 15, 20, 30, and 60 minutes. They are perfect for time blocking, the Pomodoro Technique, and writing sprints. They are also quite handy for putting boundaries on long phone calls. Simply putting the desired time on the top face is all it takes to get the timer started. Turning the cube so that the 0 is on top is all it takes to shut it down. (There is an on/off switch to help save batteries.)
The only thing I would change about my little timer cubes is the electronic beep. I think a bell would be more satisfying, but since they were a gift, I have happily used them for both creative work and cooking. Because sometimes you have to time the pasta while something else is in the oven, right?
Looking ahead, I did purchase the premium version of Grammarly and am using it this week for my blog posts and other writing. My plan is to use it for a month or two and then review it for a Tuesday Tool Time, so if you have Grammarly questions, leave them in the comments.