You start to work, but you just remember you didn’t reply to a friend’s message, and you go to do that. A few minutes later, you want to know how is your friend doing, and you go to check Facebook or Instagram…Later, when an ad showed up, that’s the thing you were thinking to buy a few days ago, and then you go check it again.
Does this sound familiar to you? These days it’s so easy to get distracted when we work. Thus we are unable to focus on the work at hand and this makes companies lose money, and we? Lose productivity.
Can we block the websites which distract us? Can we set up a time to focus and also take a break? How to solve all kinds of distractions? It’s not easy! You need to focus, and luckily there’s the Focus app that can help you with that.
Contents
What is Focus?
Focus app is a Promorodo timer that can block websites and help you focus on current tasks and improve your productivity. You can set up your “Focus time” and break time. It works by blocking access to specific websites or apps that you set up during the “Focus time”.
How Does Focus Work?
After you download the Focus app on your Mac, you will find it in the menu bar like this:
All the settings are displayed there. You can set which websites or applications you want to block, or which ones you can access during the “Focus time”. Also, you can set up your break time, schedule your time, etc.
1. Block Distractions
Focus is not only a website blocker but an app blocker. In the Setting, you are able to add which websites you want to block when the Focus app is activated. It supports Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.
So when you choose Block, all the websites or apps listed here will not be able to access during your focus time period. So these disturbing social media updates won’t bother you.
Allow is a similar feature. When the Focus app is activated, you can only access these websites or applications on the Allow list, others will be blocked automatically.
2. Schedule your time
Schedule is a feature that helps you set up your daily routines ahead of time. It’s very helpful to build a habit and simplify your workflow. You are able to schedule it to be every day, weekdays, or even working hours. It’s very flexible.
3. Take a Break
When Focus is on, it means you have to be focused all the time. But we all need to take a break. Focus knows that and allows you to set the break time.
There are two modes here. One is you can set up how long you want to take a break during how many hours. The app will automatically remind you to take a break and come back. This works well with Schedule too.
If you don’t want to schedule for a period of time, then you can go with the Pomodoro mode. It has a timer and a break and they work one by one. After the timer ends, the break will start. After the break starts, the timer will end.
4. Track Your Time
Focus collects and counts your focus time. From Statistics, you are able to see how long you’ve been focusing on your work every day, every week, every month, or even every year. So it helps you to visualize the progress.
Price and Platform Compatibility
Focus is only available for macOS at the time of this writing.
The app is not free. While it provides a trial version and you can get it from its official website. For the paid version starts from $19, and it has different plans: Productivity, Professional and Unlimited. Different plans have different features. You can check more plan info here.
Focus can be also downloaded from Setapp — a subscription service for Mac apps. It has a 7-day free trial and then $9.99 per month later. You are able to use all the apps without limitation, including Focus.
Is Focus Worth It?
I have been using some Promodoro apps and they help me focus for a period of time and remind me to take a break. I become more productive.
Focus is a similar app with unique features. It can block websites and applications to give you one more step for focusing. Also, it schedules your time to build your habit.
So if you think a free Promodoro app is not enough for you, and you can’t help but check social media from time to time during working hours, Focus could be a helpful app for you and it’s inexpensive.
Final Words
Distraction is a big enemy of productivity, and being able to focus is not easy. The Focus app not only improves your focus but helps you get rid of distractions, and build good habits.
Less distraction, more focus, and more productivity. I hope you find this Focus app review helpful.
