How to Start a Focus Session

Focus Sessions are a Solo Focus and Solo+ feature. They block distracting apps and websites for a set period of time so you can focus without interruption.

You can start one manually from the Assistant, trigger one from a calendar event, set one to fire automatically when you've spent too long on something distracting, or let a Focus Zone prompt you.

What is a Focus Session?

A Focus Session is a timed block of distraction-free work. When one is active, RescueTime blocks the apps and websites you've classified as Personal or Distracting. A countdown appears in the Assistant and in your menu bar (macOS). At the end, you get a summary of what you accomplished.

RescueTime continues tracking whether or not a session is running. Focus Sessions add blocking and a focused mindset on top of normal time tracking.

You can log what you're working on, choose a blocking level, set a duration, and add music before starting.

App & website blocking

Blocking is determined by how your activities are categorized on the Activities page. Activities listed as Personal or Distracting will be blocked during a Focus Session. There are three blocking levels:

Controlling what gets blocked

To add a website or app to your block list: go to your Activities page, hover over the activity, and use the arrows to move it to the Personal/Distracting column. To remove something from the block list, move it back to Focus Work, Other Work, or Neutral.

To permanently exclude something from blocking regardless of its category: go to Account Settings → Focus Settings → Blocking Exceptions and add it there.

Sessions run across all your devices

When you start a Focus Session on one device, it applies across all devices connected to your RescueTime account as long as the app is running in the background on each one. This applies to both desktop and mobile devices. Blocking is enforced on all of them simultaneously.

The post-session summary appears only on the device where you started the session. There may be up to a one-minute delay before a session begins on other devices.

From the Assistant

Click the RescueTime icon in your menu bar (macOS) or system tray (Windows) to open the Assistant, then click the bullseye button.

You'll be taken through setup, where you can optionally:

• Enter a description of what you're working on (up to 85 characters)
• Link to a Timesheets project or task Solo+
• Choose a blocking level
• Set a duration (or add a custom time)
• Add a Spotify playlist
• Run the optional warmup

Click Start Session to begin.

From a Focus Zone

When a Focus Zone is active, the Assistant shows a yellow alert with a Start a Focus Session button. Clicking it starts a session for the duration of that Focus Zone.

If you've enabled Focus Zone blocking in your Focus Settings, you may also see the block page when visiting a distracting site during a zone. From there, you can choose to start a session, continue to the site, or turn off blocking for that zone.

From your calendar

You can trigger a Focus Session automatically from a calendar event. Include one of these hashtags in the event title or description:

• #focustime
• #focus

The session starts automatically at the event's scheduled start time and runs for the event's duration. The event must be scheduled in the future; sessions cannot start retroactively. Once a session has started, adjusting the calendar event won't change it.

Automatically via an alert

Alerts can trigger a Focus Session automatically when a threshold is crossed. You may want to trigger a session after spending 30 minutes on distracting sites, or at the start of every workday. This is the most hands-off way to enforce focused work without needing to remember to start a session yourself.

To set one up: go to Goals & Alerts → Alerts tab → + New Alert. Configure the threshold (what activity and how much time), the timeframe, and then choose your desired session length under Start Focus Session blocking.

A few examples of what you can do:

• Start a 1-hour session after 30 minutes of distracting time during work hours
• Start a 30-minute session automatically at the beginning of each day
• Start a session after spending more than 1 hour on a specific site

The alert also triggers a desktop notification when the session begins. You can also enable automatic sessions from the distraction limit toggle in Account Settings → Focus Settings. This starts a session whenever your Personal/Distracting time exceeds a set threshold (default 30 minutes).

Optional warmup

When setting up a session manually in the Assistant, an optional link lets you run a warmup before starting. The warmup walks you through two steps: preparing your environment (closing unnecessary apps, silencing notifications) and preparing your body (posture, breathing, getting settled).

If you connect Spotify, a music bar appears at the bottom of the Assistant during the session so you can pause or play without leaving your work.

The block page

When you visit a blocked website during a session, the block page replaces it in your browser. When you open a blocked desktop app, the block page opens in a new browser window. The app stays open behind it, but you have to acknowledge the block to proceed.

The block page shows your session task, the countdown timer, and if Allow Unblocking is enabled in your Focus Settings, a Continue to [site] button. Clicking it gives you three choices:

• Yes, unblock for this session only: lets you through until the session ends, then it's blocked again
• No, unblock forever: removes it from your block list permanently and recategorizes it as Other Work on your Activities page
• Nevermind, stay focused: closes the option and keeps the site blocked

The block page also shows how many other people are currently in a Focus Session. You can join a virtual co-working space by clicking Join a digital workspace on the block page or on the Assistant.

Ending or canceling a session

During the first five minutes: click Cancel session in the Assistant. Canceled sessions are not counted in your Focus Sessions report.

After five minutes: the option changes to End session. Ended sessions count toward your Focus Sessions report and trigger the post-session summary.

Post-session summary

At the end of a session, the Assistant asks whether you completed your work (if you entered a task description). Your answer is logged in your daily summary.

The summary then shows:

• Focus Work time logged during the session against
• Number of distractions blocked
• Your current Focus Session day streak (workdays only)
• Total number of other people who were also in a Focus Session at the same time

Click through to your reports on the RescueTime website for a fuller breakdown.

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