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Getting started screens
Why should I be required to select an issue that I have with focus while none of them fits? Shouldn’t there be a skip or other option???h2qx
Developer Response
Hi H2QX, Sorry about this. It was my educated guess based on user response for the past 4 years—all consolidated into few selections. Noted about the skip / other options. Thank you for the feedback.Calendar Integration is great, but tedious
I really wanted to love this app. I paid for the pro version. The integration with the calender is great.
But after using it for 2-3 weeks, it’s just too tedious to deal with the workflow implementation this app’s pomodoro.
When a pomodoro is about to end, there is an odd sound. I have to tap to end a pomodoro, tap again to submit pomodoro info. Tap again to end a break, tap again to select if I want to complete or abandon a pomodoro.
Bottom line, I have to tap & click 3-5 times per pomodoro and there are no settings in the app to simplify this process. A pomodoro really needs to be a very simple thing, not a complex workflow. It’s great to have addon-functionality to add feedback & all of that if you want to go deeper; but core functonality of a pomodoro needs to be simple, or a at least there must be a configuration to keep it to a simple “25 minute timer & it ends”.Show lessLeo of Sparta
great!
i love this :)kay_tye
Best time tracking app
At first, I was skeptical about it and thought what's so special about it than other similar apps. To be honest, it seems all time tracking apps are almost same as there is little room to innovate. But I was wrong and was amazed by the small attention to details in Session.
For example, be able to run automations from Session start or ending, the timer never stops after the set target & continues ticking to keep me reminding of it, then be able to increase time after a session ends - these are all simple but so powerfully synced features that no one else probably had thought of.
Now it has become an integral part of my overall productivity, and probably I will not be able to use any other timer app ever after this.Show lessNafiurR
Great addition to SetApp
I've used similar apps before, but this on has a lot of touches I like.Ben We.
Exceptional App - Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Automations
TLDR: Take a well thought-out customizable Pomodoro timer, combine it with 2-way calendar sync and powerful automation capabilities, and you have Session. Just know that although the automation is “powerful”, getting anything more than simple automations set up may not be something that most users are capable of or will want to invest the time into.
I first tried Session when I was testing out pomodoro timers. I successfully used it for a few months, enjoying the elevated pomodoro experience that allowed me to follow scheduled time blocks and also log the actual time and tasks that were worked on and reflect on the day’s work. I also got into using some of the more simple automation capabilities like turning off the lights in my office at lunch time so I wouldn’t work through my lunch. Eventually I switched back to working in an office so couldn’t take advantage of the home automation anymore. That, and with the difficulty of managing multiple systems (calendar, work project management, work time tracking, and Session), I decided to stop using Session.
Well, it’s about a year and half later and I’ve found myself back testing out Session again. I’ve been trying to add a lot more structure to my day, and could really benefit from adding back a calendar-integrated pomodoro system. I followed up on it to see where development had gone and the example uses on the website sold me on giving Session another shot. Two of the specific example uses shown on the website that got me excited were: that Session can now set the Session duration based on the length of the calendar event, and that it is possible to have Session start and stop other time trackers too (like the one I use for work). I envisioned using Session for my morning routine, wind down routine, work tasks focus, making sure to take breaks and so on. (ADHD? You guessed it!)
Here are some of the ways I had hoped to use Session:
- Get a notification from my calendar for a scheduled event (as I already do now)
- Hop into Session to see my event there and the event in Session, with the start and end time all set up
- Prompt and reliable 2-way calendar sync. If I move a focus time-block or a meeting in my calendar, then it updates in Session
- Pomodoro Timer
- Use my iPhone or iPad as a dedicated Pomodoro timer to visually display time getting smaller and remind me to stay on the focus task
- Remind me when time is almost up to so I can start to wrap it up
- Remind me when the time is up
- Keep recording time after time is up, visualize how much I have gone over time, and provide continuous notifications in intervals until I end the session to help make sure I’m aware of what I’m doing and not off in outer space.
- Live syncing my timer across all my Apple devices so I can use it for all types of tasks regardless as to whether I’m working on my computer, or I just have my phone or watch on me. Also so that I can get up and walk away from my desk during a break and still get a notification to come back.
- Triggering the start and stop of other time tracking tools to help mitigate the issue of having too many systems to keep up to date (hoping I can get it to work with Harvest which I use for work)
How Session fell short for me:
- As I experienced previously, the Pomodoro timer is exceptional. The only feature I would request would be the ability to make the clock bigger on iPad so that it is easier to see the time visually.
- Calendar sync is very slow to update for my work calendar (Microsoft Exchange). This in itself is a dealbreaker as I often update same-day events. If I was using iCal for work as I do for personal, then maybe this would be ok?
- No Apple Watch app. This was a big oversight on my part. I just expected there to be one. Without an Apple Watch app I can’t leave both my phone and computer. So no use to me for morning routine, bedtime routine, breaks between sessions at work, etc.
- The automations I was hoping to set up, such as using Session to start and stop my other time tracker, are complex and do not have guides from Session on how to do them. You’re on your own and I just don’t have the time to invest in this currently.
So, I’m back to not using Session. Still giving 5-stars as this is an exceptional app for the right person. Hopefully some of the points I mentioned see improvements as I have high hopes for this app.
***Update, I forgot about the automation capabilities for blocking apps and such. Might revisit.Show lessK:ros
GoodApp!
would have been Great if price would have been a little less for monthly users and should have also included a lifetime purchase option as well.Alpha,Bravo,Charlie
Has drastically increased my productivity!
I really appreciate that all the features of this app were designed to maximize productivity and since I started using it, I've been able to increase my productivity while being healthy by taking the breaks that it encourages.ProductivityBeast
Great for discipline!
By far the best pomodoro timer I've used. I use another app to automatically track activity in the background and keep a detailed record, but the notifications at the end of an (intended) session and I would inevitably swat them away or not even notice them. Session gets in my face and forces me to take a break unless I deliberately choose to add more time. I love it.
I know it probably has a lot of features I haven't even discovered yet but if you have ever wanted a flexible pomodoro timer with a strong ability to make you pay attention to sessions and breaks, look no further. The free version is worth its weight in gold just for that. I've just subscribed so that I can check out additional features. Excellent work!Show lesstanaquil
Awesome but only subscription :(
This is a super well polished and pretty app. Main downside is it's only subscription, no one-time payment option :( I've been burnt out from subscriptions and want primarly just one-time options.
I saw they mentioned it on their website, however I'd disagree with their points. They use their own servers for syncing, but you could just make it so one-time payment uses icloud, since this is an apple only product and not cross-platform. I'd hacve no problem getting a license for the current version, and if I want to upgrading to the next major version at a discount.
The main things I like are the visual timer, which I can accomplish with tons of apps or even a physical timer the part where you can say how focused you were. But due to the subscription, I don't think I'll keep using it. Hopefully they'll change their mind about the subscription one-time payment method in the future. If they do I'll get it for sure!Show lessMerlinrocks3000
