How to Use the Focus Timer

The focus timer is a feature that helps you to focus on your tasks, making it less likely for you to get distracted by your phone or tablet. Breaking your focus session into intervals and incorporating regular breaks, such as with the Pomodoro technique, can help you stay productive and make the most of your time.

Please note that the focus timer is not available on 🤖 Android and 🌐 Structured Web yet. Moreover, some features of the focus timer require ⭐️ Structured Pro.

This article includes information about the following features:

How to Activate & Stop the Focus Timer

How to Add Intervals & Breaks

Display the Focus Timer in Live Activities

Limitations

To activate the focus timer, select an ongoing task and tap the 🔘 Focus Now button. Now, the focus timer will take up your full screen, displaying a timer counting down to the end of your task.

Here, you can also see any subtasks or notes added to the running task. You can also add notes and subtasks or check off subtasks on the go.

By tapping the remaining time at the top of the screen, you can remove the seconds countdown to make it less distracting.

The focus timer ends automatically once the time of your selected task is up or once you mark your currently running task complete.

However, you can also manually end the focus timer by tapping the x in the top-left corner. Here, you will be asked if you want to stop the timer or if you want to just minimize it to take a look at your timeline.

You can also use the focus timer to incorporate intervals and breaks into your focus session. Please note that this feature requires ⭐️ Structured Pro. In the focus timer, you can select between a pomodoro or deep focus interval length.

To add intervals to your running focus:

1. Select Intervals.

2. Choose your preferred Interval Length. Depending on the total length of your task and the chosen Interval Length, the length of the intervals will be automatically calculated:

   1. Pomodoro: Multiple focus intervals with short breaks in between. Requires at least 45 remaining minutes to be enabled.

   2. Deep Focus: Long focus intervals with long breaks in between. Requires at least 90 remaining minutes to be enabled.

3. Select Start Interval to start the intervals within your focus timer session. You will see the remaining time of the current interval phase at the top of your screen.

When tapping Intervals now, you will see all upcoming intervals. The 🔘 target icon symbolizes the focus interval, while the ☕️ coffee mug displays a break interval.

If you prefer to skip the currently running focus interval or break, select Intervals and simply select Skip Focus or Skip Break respectively. The remaining time of your focus timer session will be recalculated into new intervals.

If you're aiming to end the intervals while keeping the focus timer on, simply choose Stop Intervals and select Stop.

When activating the focus timer, the focus timer will also be displayed in your Dynamic Island (requires iPhone 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, or any iPhone 15, 16, or 17) and as a Live Activity on your lock screen.

The reworked focus timer, including subtasks, notes, and intervals, is only available from Structured 4.5.0 onward.

Please note that you can only enter the focus timer for currently running tasks that are not checked off yet.

Moreover, the focus timer will not stay active for the following task in your timeline. If your next task requires you to stay focused as well, you can simply tap it and reenter the focus timer.