Leave a Review Focus Keeper
Amazing for anyone!
As someone who gets distracted very easily and procrastinates so much, this was amazing for me. I am actually writing this review during my short break. I love how the ticking noise is available to go on in the background. As much as I thought it would bother me, it really doesn’t. It helps me keep in line and focused. I like the reminds that it gives you after a break or session is over too! I have not gone pro yet but possibly in the future I would. And it’s so cheap for so much! I can’t forget how I like how you can adjust the time if you feel that you are on a streak and don’t want to stop yet. It’s amazing! I better get back to writing my English paper now haha. Great app! I recommend it for anyone of all ages!Show lessMelmad12
ADHD life saver
Are your projects ever so big you don’t know where to start? Or do you struggle to see the trees from the forest when you get too interested in something? I admit this is the first app of time cycling I have tried so I don’t have experience with competitors but this app has been a lifesaver. Making sure I have planned breaks helps me stop going even if I really want to continue. This avoids me wasting time when I get lost in the trees and not seeing the forest. The 5 min breaks are also nice. They save me from taking a break to do something and never getting back on task because one thing leads to another.
Thanks for developing a tool that is so simple but at the same time so valuable. This gives me structure in a sea of unending curiosity and saves me from just jumping from one thing to the next.
I agree with others that in a further iteration of the app it would be wonderful to label focus sessions. Linking to a calendar or even a graph to get visual representation of time spent would also be an awesome features.Show lessSyllybean
GET IT
My therapist recommended a Pomodoro Timer to help my ADD. I had to use a few apps before I found one that fit well. I love this app! It helps me stay focused on the task I need to complete. I’ve completed chores I’ve put off for months. Hearing the timer helps my brain stay on track. It’s also given me a realistic idea of how much time it really takes to complete something which has eliminated the feeling of overwhelm before I start something. I also look forward to the breaks! The only issue I have is I wish you could Label the task you’re working on to look back on what you’ve completed. This may be possible with the paid version however I use the free.Show lesslin10D24
I use it everyday
This time is so simple and elegant. The timer just works and the interface is clutter free. I appreciate that there is a calculator that shows how much time you would be spending in Focus when setting up the rounds, which I find helps me stay realistic with my focus goals. I do about 8 rounds in a work day, which is about 4.5 hours of focus, and usually takes a whole work day. With this feature I can let myself off the hook for not working enough because I am not working “16 hours a day” as so many people in my field like to trumpet. When I can complete my work ahead of schedule with a regular rhythm of focus, all the workaholic unrealistic expectations start to dissolve
One feature that’s keeping this from being a five star review is that there is no option to have a sustained alarm to alert the end of a long break. When it’s the end of a long break usually I am away from my phone far enough that the one time ding doesn’t register to me until it’s too late and I need to reset the focus timer.Show lessWaifu laifu
Changed My Life!
I absolutely cannot believe how much more productive I am in my work, professionally and personally, when I use Focus Keeper.
I am an editor/writer working from home, and both my work assignments and my housekeeping tasks were all slow, unfocused, and disorganized before I found this app. Now, with Focus Keeper, I work faster in my job, and during my 5-minute breaks, I always get up and move around. Since I’m not sitting as long at one time, I don’t get as stiff and uncomfortable as I used to, and—bonus—I get so many little household chores accomplished during those brief breaks of five minutes throughout the day (things that I have successfully put off for days, weeks, months...years).
I love this app! Thank you, Focus Keeper!Show lessLKR612
The only way I get things done these days
I don’t have ADHD (as far as I know), but I do have focus issues that can make it difficult to be productive for long periods, and I have a lot of stuff to do (including school prep) on which I fall behind if I’m not consistent in my working habits. This app helps me get a LOT more done on a consistent basis and track how well I’m doing over a two-week to one-month period. I paid for the pro upgrade pretty much on the first day because I knew I’d be using the app to death and having the ability to customize everything is a huge help. One weird bug I’ve come across is that when I pick a time for the round and goals to reset, it always picks the time one hour before that. I’ve learned to work around this — it’s just a little odd and can be annoying if you don’t catch it when picking a new reset time. Otherwise, I have no major complaints — the app works beautifully. It would be nice to be able to use it in split view on iPad, but that’s more of a request than a complaint.Show lessCrazyWriterPerson01
Helping me through my roughest day
If I have a day of intense productivity (aka hyperfocus), I suffer from brain fog for the next few days, sometimes even a whole week. Today is one those days. I was struggling through the most basic tasks. I couldn’t even focus for a 5 minute stretch in order to answer my work emails.
This app is a lifesaver for my ADHD brain. I turned on the White Noise app and set the timer for 10 minutes. So far I’ve been able to complete 3 cycles of 10 minutes each. I’ve now bumped it up to 15 minutes. Hopefully the apps will carry me through the day.
Update 10/6 - I have one complaint about the way the app functions. I have it installed on my iPhone. It seems to stop randomly and it doesn’t restart itself or even alert me to let me know that I need to restart it. I don’t know if it stops when I get a text message or a phone call or if a calendar alert pops up. I’m so focused on my work (or trying to be focused re:ADHD). I only realize that the timer has stopped when I switch to it to see how much time is left until my next break. It’s very frustrating.Show lessChelley449
Almost perfect—almost.
You can’t ask much from these apps. It does everything it needs to. I love the UI and the way you set the time. There’s only one thing that frustrates me about this app. Why can’t you mute it? I would be watching a video on my iPad and have to switch to a different device due to the incessant ticking. I’m not saying remove the sound(I like it at certain times), but the sound makes it unusable whenever I need to have a video open alongside the app. I love everything else about this, but until that changes I have to use a different pomodoro timer. Looking forward to that being addressed!Show lessYourAverageAppleReviewer
Completely Changes the WFH Balance
After switching from 5-6 days a week in the office, to COVID and working from home, I really struggled to balance everything. Somehow the load of laundry or the dishes in the sink were very hard to ignore while trying to focus on work. I found myself constantly distracted, only able to focus on work when household tasks were done (which of course they never are!)
This app changed my life. The structure of working for 25 minutes with a 5 minute break allows for focus time, and then I can take 5 minutes to switch the laundry or empty the dishwasher, which really helps to keep the work-life balance actually balanced. Four repeats of a “block” equals 8 hours of focus, which also makes a very tangible way to work 8 hours during your day. And this is broken up by 30 minute breaks between each two hour block, which I find helps me produce higher quality work throughout the day, while also giving me time to keep up with housework.
I highly recommend focus keeper to anyone struggling to work from home and keep their work life balance.Show lessL•R•C
Best Pomodoro app available!
I’ve been using this app for years and finally I am getting around to reviewing it. I think I’ve probably been using this app on and off for work since circa 2016. I originally tried a number of different Pomodoro focus apps, but ultimately I came back to this one because of its simplicity, customization options and the selection of sounds and alerts. Personally, I like to listen to the noises of the coffee shop while I’m working and then the waves when I’m on my break. A couple years ago I finally broke down and paid for the premium version and I’m glad I did. To pay a small one time fee to be able to use this app whenever and however I want is obviously worth the cost! Keep it up developers of Focus Keeper!Show lessAuk KD
