# Timers and Focus Mode

Focus Mode in Super Productivity addresses a central challenge of task-based work: **maintaining sustained attention and structured work sessions** in the face of distractions and context switching. The app is designed to help you stay organized and focused through timeboxing, time tracking, break reminders, anti-procrastination features, and a Pomodoro-style timer—all working together to support healthy, productive habits. Timers and focus are treated as a **first-class feature**: they have dedicated configuration, distinct modes with clear behavior, and deep integration with task tracking and metrics. Understanding what problem Focus Mode solves, how it relates to time-boxing and deep work, what the app assumes about focus when using timers, and how timers influence your behavior helps you use it effectively.

For how time is logged when you track a task, see [[4.14-How-Time-Is-Logged]]. Focus Mode settings (sync with task tracking, tick sound, preparation screen, breaks, etc.) are in [[3.02-Settings-and-Preferences]].

## What Problem Does Focus Mode Solve?

Productivity loss from **distractions and context switching** is something the app explicitly tries to reduce. Focus Mode gives you:

- **Structured work sessions** — A timer and clear “work” vs “break” phases so you can commit to a block of time instead of working in an unstructured way.
- **Timeboxing** — Fixed or flexible time boxes so you can plan how long you work and when you rest.
- **Awareness** — Optional tick sounds and session-completion notifications so you stay present and know when a block has ended.
- **Integration with task tracking** — When enabled, focus sessions can start and pause in sync with the task you’re tracking, so “focus time” and “task time” stay aligned.

The app’s **metrics** also reflect this. They can classify your day into states that include an ideal **deep-flow** state (high productivity and high sustainability) and a **drift** state (low productivity and low sustainability—often indicating attention or focus problems). That encourages you to reflect not only on _how much_ you worked but on _how_ you worked: sustained focus vs fragmented attention.

## How Focus Mode Relates to Time-Boxing and Deep Work

Focus Mode implements **three distinct time-boxing strategies**, each aligned with different productivity approaches:

### Pomodoro Mode

**Pomodoro** is classic time-boxing with fixed work and break lengths:

- **Work sessions** — A set duration (often 25 minutes by default; configurable). You work until the timer reaches that duration.
- **Short breaks** — After each work session, a short break (often 5 minutes).
- **Long breaks** — After every few cycles (often 4), a longer break (e.g. 15 minutes) to recover.

The app can automatically start the next work session after a break, so you can run multiple cycles in a row. Pomodoro is well suited to **disciplined, interval-based work**: clear boundaries, regular rest, and a predictable rhythm.

### Flowtime Mode

**Flowtime** supports **open-ended deep work** without a fixed session length:

- **No fixed duration** — Sessions have no preset end; the timer runs until you choose to stop.
- **No automatic completion** — The app never ends a Flowtime session by itself. That avoids interrupting you when you’re in flow.
- **No automatic breaks** — Breaks are not started by the app; you start them when you want. That keeps you in control of when to step away.

Flowtime is for when you want **sustained focus without a hard stop**: you start the session, work until you’re done or need a break, then end it manually. The timer still tracks how long you’ve been working so you can see elapsed time.

### Countdown Mode

**Countdown** is **custom-duration time-boxing**:

- **You set the length** — Each time you start a session, you choose how long it will be (or use a suggested/default value, e.g. your last used duration).
- **Session ends when the timer reaches that duration and stops** — Same completion logic as Pomodoro for work sessions, but with a duration you pick per session.
- **No automatic breaks** — Unlike Pomodoro, the app does not auto-start a break after a Countdown session; you decide what to do next.

Countdown is for when you want **time-boxing with flexibility**: e.g. “I’ll focus for 45 minutes on this” or “I’ll do 20 minutes and then switch.”

### Optimal Focus and Sustainable Deep Work

The app’s design reflects the idea that **sustainable deep work** has a natural limit. The metrics use an **optimal focus target of 4 hours per day** (240 minutes). That aligns with research suggesting that beyond a certain amount of focused work, gains diminish and fatigue grows. So Focus Mode and the metrics are built not to maximize “more hours” but to support **focused, sustainable** work: enough structure to protect attention, and enough flexibility (especially in Flowtime) to preserve flow when it happens.

## What the App Assumes About Focus When Using Timers

Several assumptions drive how timers behave and how focus is evaluated.

### When a Session Is Considered Complete

A **work session** is treated as complete when:

1. **Elapsed time reaches the set duration** (for modes that have a duration: Pomodoro and Countdown).
2. **The timer has stopped** — Completion is processed when the timer is no longer running, not only when the number crosses the threshold. That keeps behavior consistent regardless of how often the timer is updated internally.

Elapsed time is always calculated from **when the session started** to **now**, so the duration is accurate even if update intervals vary. For **Flowtime**, there is no set duration, so the session **never completes automatically**; you must end it yourself. That preserves the “no interruption” design of Flowtime.

### Mode-Specific Completion Behavior

- **Pomodoro** — When the work timer reaches the session length, the session completes and the app can automatically start a break (short or long, depending on cycle). After the break, it can auto-start the next work session.
- **Countdown** — When the timer reaches your chosen duration and stops, the session completes. No automatic break or next session; you choose what to do next.
- **Flowtime** — The session never auto-completes. You decide when to stop; there are no automatic breaks.

So “session done” means something different per mode: in Pomodoro it triggers a break (and possibly the next session); in Countdown it just ends; in Flowtime it only ends when you say so.

### Focus Balance and Sustainability

The app’s **productivity and sustainability metrics** assume that **more focus time is not always better**. They use an **inverted-V curve** for focus balance: up to the optimal amount (e.g. 4 hours), more focus improves the score; beyond that, **excessive focus is penalized** (e.g. with an exponential decay). That reflects the reality that **cognitive fatigue is non-linear**: pushing far beyond the sustainable range does not improve outcomes and can hurt sustainability. So the system encourages you to value **sustainable** focus, not maximum hours.

## How Timers Influence Your Behavior

Timers affect how you work through several mechanisms.

### Auditory Feedback

When enabled in settings, the app can **play a tick sound** during work sessions (typically once per second, at a reduced volume so it’s not intrusive). That keeps you subtly aware that time is passing and that you’re in a focus block, without requiring you to look at the screen.

### Session Completion Notifications

When a **work session** or **break** completes, the app can:

- **Play a sound** — So you notice even if the window isn’t focused.
- **Focus or flash the window** — On desktop, the app can bring itself to the front or flash the frame so you see that the session ended.
- **Show visual feedback** — e.g. a progress bar or on-screen indication that the block is done.

That multi-channel feedback makes it clear when to switch from work to break or from break back to work, or when a Countdown session has ended.

### Deep Integration with Task Tracking

When **“sync session with task tracking”** is enabled, Focus Mode and time tracking work together in **both directions**:

- **Task tracking → Focus** — When you **start** tracking a task, the app can start or resume a focus session (if you’re on the main focus screen and no session is active, or if a work session was paused). When you’re on a break and you start tracking a task, the app can skip the break and start work so the session aligns with the task.
- **Focus → Task tracking** — Focus sessions run while you have an active task; when you pause the session (e.g. for a break), the app can pause task tracking too, so time isn’t logged during the break. When you resume, both resume.

That creates a **bidirectional link**: starting or pausing the task affects the focus session, and starting or ending a focus session (or break) can affect what’s being tracked. The result is that “focus time” and “logged task time” stay in sync when you want them to.

### Quality Metrics and the Role of Focus

The app’s **productivity score** combines several factors. Focus time is one of them (often weighted around 30%): progress toward your focus target improves the score. But **impact** (your own assessment of how valuable the work was) is weighted more heavily (e.g. around 65%). So the system encourages you to **reflect on the value of work**, not only on time spent. Focus time is rewarded, but the main driver of the score is whether the work mattered. That supports a balance between “did I focus?” and “did I do something that mattered?”

## Why Focus Is a First-Class Feature

Focus Mode is not a minor add-on; it’s designed as a **core part of the workflow**.

### Dedicated Design and State

Focus Mode has its own **timer state** (running, started-at time, elapsed, duration, work vs break), **UI screens** (task selection, duration selection, preparation, main timer, session done, break), and **session metadata** (mode, cycle, last completed duration, paused task). The timer is the **single source of truth** for “how long has this session been running?” so the UI and any logic that depends on session length stay consistent.

### Strategy Per Mode

Each mode (**Pomodoro**, **Flowtime**, **Countdown**) has **defined behavior**: different session lengths, different break rules, different completion behavior. The app doesn’t treat them as “one timer with different numbers”; it treats them as **distinct strategies**. So Pomodoro always has breaks and cycles; Flowtime never auto-completes; Countdown always lets you set the duration. That makes each mode predictable and purposeful.

### Configuration and Integration

Focus Mode has **multiple dedicated settings** (e.g. sync with task tracking, start in background, skip preparation screen, play tick sound, pause task tracking during break, manual break start). Those options show that focus is meant to be **configurable** to your workflow. The feature is also **woven into the app**: session lifecycle (start, tick, complete), break handling, task-tracking sync, and metrics all depend on focus state. So focus is **central to the workflow**, not a side panel you can ignore.

### Sustainable Productivity as a Goal

The design treats **focus as a skill to be developed and maintained**. That’s why the app offers:

- **Structured modes** — So you can choose a rhythm (Pomodoro, Flowtime, Countdown) that fits how you work.
- **Preparation phases** — So you can mentally commit before the timer starts (unless you skip them).
- **Sustainability metrics** — So you can see whether you’re in a sustainable pattern (e.g. deep flow) or at risk of burnout (e.g. overdrive) or drift.

The 4-hour optimal focus target and the penalty for excessive focus reinforce that the goal is **sustainable productivity**, not maximum hours at any cost.

## Summary

- **Focus Mode** tackles **sustained attention and structured sessions**; it’s a first-class feature with its own state, modes, and settings.
- **Three modes**: **Pomodoro** (fixed work/break/cycles), **Flowtime** (open-ended, no auto-completion), **Countdown** (custom duration per session).
- **Session completion**: For Pomodoro and Countdown, a work session completes when elapsed ≥ duration and the timer stops; **Flowtime never auto-completes**.
- **Focus balance**: Metrics assume an **optimal focus target** (e.g. 4 h/day) and **penalize excessive focus** to support sustainability.
- **Behavior**: Tick sounds, session-done notifications, and **sync with task tracking** (when enabled) tie focus to how you actually work.
- **Quality**: Productivity score weights **impact** more than **focus time**, so you’re encouraged to reflect on value, not only on time.

## Related

- [[4.14-How-Time-Is-Logged]] — How task time tracking works and how it syncs with Focus Mode
- [[3.02-Settings-and-Preferences]] — Focus Mode options (sync, tick sound, preparation, breaks)
- [[4.08-Time-Estimates]] — How estimates and logged time support planning and review
