Focus App for Fighting Distractions
All ISB laptops come with a premium license for Focus (http://www.heyfocus.com) preinstalled to help individuals choose to limit their distractions.
The premise is simple: start the app anytime you are feeling distracted. This app will run for a period of time that you set and will block anything websites or apps that you have added to the “block” list for that time. While there is a preset list of sites that are blocked, this can be customized by each user.
This app is for those who are serious about self-managing their own distractions. While there are options to make it more like a “parental control” app, it’s original design is for users to start the program as and when needed.
How it works
Using Spotlight, search for and start “Focus”. If, for some reason, it is not installed on your laptop you can install it from Self Service:
Once you’ve started the program, click on the icon in the menu bar to start a Focus session. You can choose the default session, or set a custom length of time:
To customize the blocked websites, select “Preferences” to see the list of sites. In a Focus session, you can also drag the URL of a site that you are finding distracting to the menu bar icon to quickly add it to the list:
You can also choose to block specific apps that have been installed on your computer, such as WeChat or other distracting software.
Advanced Features
Focus is a highly customizable app that gives users the ability to be very detailed in how they block their distractions. Use the following links to learn how to:
- Turn on Hardcore Mode: When Hardcore Mode is enabled, you cannot stop a Focus session.
- Schedule Focus to turn on and off: Use automatic timers to automatically block your list of distracting sites and apps.
- Advanced Website Blocking: use advanced rules and wildcards to block exactly what you want
- Pomodoro Method: Setup Focus to use the Pomodoro method of studying and breaks
Parental Controls
The Focus support site has extensive instructions on different options for parental controls, including setting a password to stop changes, setting a schedule to automatically turn on Focus, and how to turn off access to all websites.