A to-do list app with the timer already running
Most apps make you pick a task, then start a timer. Focus5 picks the task and the clock is running when it appears, so there is nothing between you and the work.
A timer is not the hard part. Anybody can start a timer. The hard part is the two minutes before it, where you read the list, weigh up four things, pick one, decide how long it deserves, and then press start. Do that at 9am and you have spent the freshest part of the day administering yourself.
Focus5 removes that entire step. Open Focus and the next task is on screen with the clock already going, chosen by the queue rather than by you: today first, then anything still open from before, then what is coming up.
You start working because there is nothing else on screen to do.
How the focus timer works
The timer starts with the task, not before it
Open Focus and the next task is already on screen with the clock running. You do not pick a task, then set a timer, then press go. That sequence is where most sessions die, so it is not in the product.
It counts up, and it does not interrupt you
No 25 minute box and no alarm to argue with. The clock runs for as long as the work runs. If a thing takes 9 minutes it took 9 minutes, and if it takes an hour nothing stops you at the good part to tell you to have a break.
You can see it without the app in front of you
On Android the running clock sits in an ongoing notification and keeps ticking even with the app closed, with Pause and Complete right on it. On a laptop it runs in the browser tab title, so a tab you have scrolled away from still tells you the clock is going.
Every second is banked against the task
Time is stored on the task itself, not in a separate timer log you have to reconcile. Pause and come back and it picks up the same total. Finish the task and the time it really took is attached to it forever.
Afterwards it tells you where the day went
Insights is built from those same numbers: hours per day, what you actually finished, and which books ate your time. Nothing is stored as a statistic, so it can never disagree with the tasks it came from.
Review the designs with Bob
Sat · Aug 8
21:48
Task 2 of 5
This is not a pomodoro app
Worth saying plainly, because people arrive here looking for one. Focus5 has no 25 minute box, no 5 minute break and no alarm telling you to stop. The clock counts up and runs as long as the work runs.
A pomodoro timer is a good tool if your problem is stopping. Mine was starting. A fixed 25 minutes also has to be argued with constantly: some things take four minutes and some take two hours, and getting interrupted at the exact moment the work finally clicked is its own kind of cost.
If a strict 25/5 cycle is what you want, use a dedicated pomodoro app. It will do that better than this does.
The clock stays visible without the app
On Android the running timer sits in an ongoing notification and keeps ticking with the app closed, so glancing at your phone tells you the session is still live. Pause freezes the total and turns into Resume without dismissing anything, and Complete ticks the task off and opens the next one. Tapping the notification opens that screen too.
On a laptop the same job is done by the browser tab title, which counts while you are in another tab. Both exist for the same reason: a timer you cannot see is a timer you forget you left running.
Where the time actually goes
Every second is banked against the task itself rather than into a separate timer log, so the time a job really took stays attached to that job. Pause, come back tomorrow, and it carries on from the same total.
Insights is built from those numbers and from the sessions behind them: hours per day, how much you finished, and which books are eating your week. Nothing is stored as a statistic, so nothing there can disagree with the tasks it came from.
What it costs
Every feature is unlocked for your first 7 days, with no card. After that Focus mode and its timer are part of the paid version, and Today, Agenda, Calendar and 2 books stay free with no time limit.
The paid version is $29 once, with no monthly plan. Full pricing is here, and Brain Dump is how the tasks get in there in the first place.
Questions about the focus timer
Is Focus5 a pomodoro app?
No, and it is worth being clear about it. There is no 25 minute box, no 5 minute break and no alarm. The timer counts up and runs as long as the work does. If a strict 25/5 cycle is what you want, a dedicated pomodoro app will suit you better and I would rather say so.
What is the difference from a normal pomodoro timer?
A pomodoro timer asks you to choose the task first and then start the clock. Focus5 does it the other way round: it picks the next task and the clock is already running when the task appears. The decision that usually eats the start of a session is not there.
Does the timer keep running if I close the app?
Yes. On Android it runs in an ongoing notification that keeps ticking with the app closed, and you can pause it or complete the task from the notification itself. On the web it runs in the tab title, so it survives you switching tabs.
Can I start a timer on one specific task?
Yes. On the web, hover a task row and press play. On the phone, long press it and choose Start timer. Same act, different gesture, because a phone has no hover.
Where does the time go once I stop?
Onto the task. Every session is banked into that task’s total, so the time it really took stays attached to it. Insights then builds hours per day, finished counts and time per book out of those totals.
Can I pause and come back?
Yes. Pausing keeps the total rather than throwing it away, and resuming carries on from where it stopped. On Android you can do both from the notification without opening the app.
Is the focus timer free?
Every feature is unlocked for your first 7 days with no card. After that Focus mode and its timer are part of the paid version, which is $29 once, and Today, Agenda, Calendar and 2 books stay free with no time limit.
Does it work on Android and on a laptop?
Both. Focus5 is on Google Play for Android and runs in any desktop browser, on one account, and the time you bank on one shows up on the other. iPhone is next.
Compare Focus5 with other apps
Focus5 vs Sunsama
Sunsama costs $204 a year and connects to 21 other tools. Focus5 costs $29 once and shows you 5 tasks at a time, one at a time, in the right order.
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Focus5 vs Todoist
Todoist organises your whole list from $5 a month. Focus5 costs $29 once and shows you 5 tasks at a time so you never decide what to do next.
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Focus5 vs TickTick
Both apps have a focus timer. TickTick costs $35.99 a year and leaves you to choose what to work on. Focus5 costs $29 once and chooses for you.
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Focus5 vs Motion
Motion uses AI to build your calendar, from $19 per person a month. Focus5 costs $29 once and just queues your tasks in order, 5 on screen at a time.
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Focus5 vs Things 3
Neither app charges a subscription. Things 3 is Apple only and costs up to $79.97 across devices. Focus5 is $29 once for every device, with a focus queue Things does not have.
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Focus5 vs Notion
Notion makes you build your own task system. Focus5 gives you one you cannot change, and a Focus mode that decides what you do next.
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Focus5 vs Microsoft To Do
Microsoft To Do is free and syncs with Outlook. Focus5 costs $29 once and adds a Focus mode that queues your tasks and times them.
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Focus5 vs Google Tasks
Google Tasks is free and sits inside Gmail. Focus5 costs $29 once and adds a Focus mode that picks your next task and times it.
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Focus5 vs Trello
Trello shows all your work on a board at once. Focus5 shows 5 at a time and one on screen, in an order it picks for you.
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Focus5 vs ClickUp
ClickUp runs a whole company’s work. Focus5 runs your next hour: it picks the next task and starts the timer.
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Focus5 vs Superlist
Both apps let you add tasks by talking. Superlist is $59 a year. Focus5 is $29 once and adds a Focus mode that queues them and times them.
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