Focus – Productivity Timer App Reviews

I’ve been looking for a good pomodoro timer app, and tho’ I knew buying this that it’s not going to answer all my demands, I think it will if the developer is responsive to people’s requests. The design is gorgeous, and I love the task notetaking feature (don’t confuse this with a full-blown task manager: it’s more to log your pomodoro work than anything else). What I’d like to see in future releases: - full keyboard shortcut implementation (this is crucial) - menubar option (ditto) - and CSV export for tasks. I’m sure the developer is already thinking about some/all these things. Implentation of them will make the $10 pricetag well worth it for those of us who parcel our workdays into 25 minute chunks.

I agree with the comments saying that the price is pretty steep given the features. I like the app, and feel that I have clearly benefitted from using it over the last few days, but certain aspects of the application are very far from polished. My biggest complaint is that I purchased both the OSX and the iOS app thinking that my tasks would sync over iCloud, but they do not! Only the iOS version has iCloud support, so the tasks you add on OSX do not know anything about tasks you add on your iPhone, and visa versa. Not only was this really dissapointing, and amaturistic, but I found this incredibly misleading. On the company’s website, the way the photos of the desktop and mobile versions are juxtaposed really strongly implies there is some syncing going on here. I never would have purchased the iOS app had I known there was no syncing of tasks. I hope the developers push for adding this feature, but the website seems to be rather dismissive and evasive about whether or not they will. I have lots of minor complaints about the design, and lack of features for a $10 app, but many other reviewers have already listed them. One thing that is sorely missing is some detailed tracking about task completion. The application pictures show a bar-chart button, implying you can track your progress, but the statistics they give here are so coarse that they are more or less useless. I want to be able to track my progress over time (as a bar-chart would imply), not just know how many tasks / sessions I’ve completed today and in total.

This is aa great app, don’t get me wrong. It will help you get work done. However, it is lacking in options such as a better alarm, better tracking of accomplished tasks and… I am not sure what else, but for its price I was excepting a more complete product.

great app but i wish you could determine how long the timer went for. That would make it perfect!

I am convinced this app is a scam. It is nothing more than a very simple timer. Don’t waste your time or money on this!

If you have $10, crumple it up and throw it out the window, you’ll be better served.

Focus can be counted on to count down 25 minutes and look nice doing it (if you like minimal design). But there’s a lot of work to be done here. The interface, while simple, is often baffling and very un-mac-like. Information is hidden and difficult to find. If the app window is hidden or burried, there’s no hope seeing even the amount of time left on your timer (menu item or animated dock icon seem like the obvious answer here). All and all the app feels like nibware thrown together as someones sophomore “I just learned Cocoa programming” project, not a featured app costing $10. The developer does say "It isnt perfect yet, but that may change over time. You can support the development and write me some feedback or leave a review on the App Store.” Maybe the $10 is a vote of confidence in the developer? Or a way of funding future development and improvements? But as much as I would like to see this app improved, I can’t recommend the $10 price of entry until some significant polish has been added.

i like it for school so ican focus of maintaining productivity

It’s simple, but it does exactly what you want it to do, no more, no less. No complaints and I’m totally happy with it.

Very disappointed that the session lengths are not easily adjusted—you have to go into the preferences to change for the entire app each time. It has a very inefficient interface—can’t initiate a session by clicking on it, have to go up to the menu bar each time. I would be happy to pay $10 once they’ve made it just the slightest bit adjustable. Not worth it for this version.

but can I have an option to hide the dock icon?

Tried a lot of pomodoro apps and found this one to be the best. My criteria are 1. Seamless sync (“handoff-style”) between OSX and iOS. I need to be able to pick up the phone and see when my break is over. Non-negotiable. 2. Design. As an app that surrounds me all the time, I want it to immaculately designed. Also non-negotiable. 3.-10. <nothing> 11. Task management integration. I’d like to see OmniFocus integration, but can live with what it has today. 12. Any other functionality. There are minor bugs, in v3.0 (0300070) but they are immaterial.

Clean interface, seamless handoff between my Mac, running El Capitan, and my iPhone. I don’t use any extra features, just that, and it works very nicely. The handoff, for me, is worth the extra. I can start a session on either device. I can hit “Start a Break” on my laptop, where I’m often working, walk outside for a breath of fresh air, and have my iPhone remind me five minutes later that the break is over. Lovely.

I’ve been reviewing productivity apps for the last few days and trying to find a good one for my workflow. This one wastes my time and attention with needless animations and what I consider to be a poor interface. There is no menu drop down, it just pops open a window that shows you substantially the same information as the icon, and it takes an extra click to the preferences. Adding tasks is VERY strange and non-intuitive, it feels painful. You cannot delete a task, only complete it. There is no way to prioritize, estimate or organize your tasks. This is not a PROJECT MANAGEMENT app, it’s a todo list with a timer that doesn’t integrate with any other todo system, text files, reminders. Oh yea, if you want the handoff, etc. you have to buy the $6 iPhone app. Terrible. I wish I could get a refund.

This pomodoro app is best for Web / App Developers who would like to divide their projects into smaller quicker tasks and have breaks in between. That way our eyes dont hurt and we can be reminded to come out of the zone and rest a bit and come back. It also helps for people with adhd like me! Thanks Jan! 5 Stars!

As a student, I use this app every day to help me focus and get stuff done. Would recommend to anyone who does a lot of work on their Mac. Taking breaks is important.

Focus is still my go-to app. for time-boxing/task management. I’ve put together a nightly drawing regimen consisting of five separate components (contour, perspective, two different gesture exercises, and theroetical exploration). Depending on the night, I have anywhere from 1-5 hours. Focus gives me the flexibility to customize the pomodoro. On nights without much time, I’ll do ten-minute intervals for each task. On nights with more time, I’ll do 15, 20, or 25-minute chunks (you can choose any length of time, though). I always take the in-between breaks. While doing my gesture drawings, I use another simple timer app. with repeating one-minute intervals. Of course, this method (or one you come up with on your own) could be applied to any routine. I just use it for art. Between full-time work and school, plus severe ADHD, it can really be a struggle for me to stay on task, even when it’s something I enjoy. I’m exhausted, and need motivation and externalized reminders of time to keep me moving. Focus has been tremendously helpful with this.

I love this app — I open it when I begin work in the morning, create new tasks for any of my new goals for the day, and then use the timer to get all my tasks done, one manageable segment at a time. I do wish different tasks could be assigned their own time segments, so that with tasks that can get out of hand (like filing email), I could use shorter segments to limit my time, without having to go in and change the general setting each time out.

Really love this app. The simple focused design really makes this app really lightweight and easy to use. The side by side format is great too. Love the quick view on the menu bar too. Have yet to use the iCloud integration, but glad it’s an option. Support is also great - quick and helpful.

I use Focus for things I would never have thought of before I bought it. Obviously, I use it as a productivity timer. When I do homework, I do the 10+2*5 method of working 10min, resting 2, repeat 4 more times. But I also use it for when I am having a lazy day around the house. I have a Focus for laundry day. My “productive time” is 30 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of “rest”. In actuality, I start laundry, start my focus, then play video games or watch tv and during my rest period, I fold and hang laundry. Repeat until done. As much as I love Focus, the only two things I would like to see in a feature version are repeating sessions and a hard stop time. I do laundry every week so it would be nice to just have one ready to go when I complete one. Same goes for homework. I do it every day and it would be nice to have it repeat once I complete it. I would also like to see a hard stop time. Say i am going to only do homework for an hour. Instead of setting a long break, I would rather just end the task. That gives me a goal to work towards. Even without those features, this is an amazing app that helps someone who is easily distracted, like me, focused.