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I’m a strong advocate for using focus hacks to help concentrate and complete tasks, with most of these methods emphasizing distraction-free work, known as deep work. In deep work, you enter a “flow state,” focusing solely on the task, without any distractions. Most productivity hacks recommend short bursts of deep work followed by brief breaks. The Pomodoro method is a classic example, consisting of 20-minute work intervals with five-minute rests.
You can adjust work and rest durations according to your preference, but it’s essential to track your work time and minimize distractions. This is where focus timer apps become valuable. They not only track your work time and maintain a schedule but also help you avoid phone distractions. Here are three excellent options.
**Flora (and Forest)**
I have a strong preference for the Flora app, available on iOS and Android. It has a range of useful features. The main one is nurturing virtual trees during focus sessions, which will die if you leave the app. This feature is soothing yet adds slight pressure to stay focused. Additional motivators include wagering real money on your productivity, with amounts ranging from $5 to $100; if you fail, the funds go towards real-world tree planting. The FloraCare subscription, at $11.99 per month, allows unlimited real-life tree planting with eight hours of focus per tree, while cheaper plans offer similar benefits with more focus time required. Over 100,000 trees have reportedly been planted through user activities.
Whether driven by the gaming aspect, financial stakes, or environmental impact, Flora is an exceptional focus timer app. It shares similarities with the long-standing Forest app, also favored by Lifehacker, both enabling users to cultivate virtual trees and support real-life tree planting. Forest limits real trees to five per year, and while I haven’t used it, it has a devoted following. However, Flora remains my preference.
**FocusPomo**
I also appreciate FocusPomo, a comprehensive focus timer on iOS. It supports the Pomodoro technique by allowing you to set focus and break intervals while blocking other apps during focus times. Attempting to access another app leads to a screen stating, “Deeply focusing. [The app] has been blocked by FocusPomo.” While you can whitelist necessary apps, it’s better to resist.
FocusPomo offers a virtual reward system, awarding cartoon tomatoes for session completions, serving as a visual motivator. Additionally, it incorporates techniques like time boxing and time blocking, syncing with your calendar to automatically launch focus sessions. Subscriptions cost $2.99 monthly, $9.99 annually, or $24.99 for lifetime access.
**Focus Friend**
Finally, Hank Green’s Focus Friend app, a current favorite, recently topped Apple’s Free Apps list. Similar to the previous apps, Focus Friend rewards work with animations. Instead of trees or tomatoes, a knitting bean requires uninterrupted phone time to complete socks. The longer you work, the more socks are knitted, and more socks mean more in-game currency for decorating the bean’s space.
While it seems whimsical, it is effective in motivating focus. It also allows phone screen time integration to block other apps during sessions, although free users must upgrade to whitelist apps. Subscription fees are $1.99 monthly, $14.99 annually, or $29.99 for lifetime access.