This Apple Watch app is designed to help you focus and get more done

Screenshots of the Focus app from the Apple App Store
(Image credit: Apple App Store/Focus App)
Focus

A screenshot of the Focus app logo

(Image credit: Apple App Store/Focus App)

Apple Watch / iPhone / iPad / Apple Vision Pro – Free (In-App Purchases)

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Most of us live in fear because we know that a day lost to distraction is often only a notification away. For this reason, I’m always on the lookout for new apps designed to keep us focused beyond just blocking and banning everything. Sure this works for some people but I just find it annoying and hate being treated like a naughty kid who can’t sit still (ironic given that’s essentially what I am).

Focus is an app that works across your Apple devices to, as the name suggests, keep you focused. But I find the Apple Watch version is the most effective. 

It's designed to help you maintain concentration and enhance your work efficiency by organizing your tasks into focused work sessions. The app leverages proven time management techniques, breaking down your work time into short bursts of 25 minutes, followed by regular breaks. The thinking is that this will sustain your energy and attentiveness throughout the day.

Why Focus is worth downloading

What I like about Focus is its seamless integration across all Apple devices, offering a unified task management and tracking experience. 

But although you could use it on your iPhone, the Apple Watch app is particularly effective for me. The reason is simple: while smartphones can often become a source of distraction, the Apple Watch provides a more discreet and less intrusive way to stay on track. 

With the Focus app on my wrist, monitoring my sessions and tracking my progress becomes effortlessly convenient, ensuring that my productivity doesn't falter – mostly because there’s no way I can watch TikTok from my wrist.

The app boasts an intuitive interface, offering an easy-to-use timer that guides you through your work sessions without any unnecessary complications. It's this simplicity and effectiveness that make Focus an invaluable tool for anyone looking to optimize their workday.

I attribute my success in writing a 70,000 word book in less than six months to the principles of focused work sessions. Initially, I relied on a cute tomato-shaped timer to practice the Pomodoro Method, but the Focus app has since replaced it, offering a far more practical solution. 

If you're seeking to elevate your productivity and minimize distractions, downloading the Focus app on your Apple Watch is a step in the right direction.

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Becca Caddy
Contributor

Becca Caddy is a contributor to iMore, as well as a freelance journalist and author. She’s been writing about consumer tech and popular science for more than a decade, covering all kinds of topics, including why robots have eyes and whether we’ll experience the overview effect one day. She’s particularly interested in VR/AR, wearables, digital health, space tech and chatting to experts and academics about the future. She’s contributed to TechRadar, T3, Wired, New Scientist, The Guardian, Inverse and many more. Her first book, Screen Time, came out in January 2021 with Bonnier Books. She loves science-fiction, brutalist architecture, and spending too much time floating through space in virtual reality. Last time she checked, she still holds a Guinness World Record alongside iMore Editor in Chief Gerald Lynch for playing the largest game of Tetris ever made, too.