Focus Zones
What you'll learn
What is a Focus Zone?
A Focus Zone is a time slot that RescueTime identifies as an ideal window for deep, focused work. It’s based on gaps in your calendar and your work patterns. When a Focus Zone opens up, you’ll get a notification from the Assistant prompting you to start a Focus Session and make the most of that time.
At the start of your day, your Morning Briefing in the Assistant will show your Focus Opportunities—these are your Focus Zones.
When your workday has one or more hours without meetings, or when you've been the most productive based on your previous work patterns, the Assistant will alert you that you're in a Focus Zone. During a Focus Zone, RescueTime will suggest you start a Focus Session through a pinned alert in your Assistant (Find more details about alerts here).
What triggers a Focus Zone?
Focus Zones are based on your connected calendar, your work patterns, and your set work schedule.
- If you have a connected calendar with meetings:
RescueTime looks for open gaps between your workday start time, meeting times, and workday end time. Any available slot of at least an hour can become a Focus Zone. - If you don’t have a connected calendar or no meetings:
RescueTime uses your past week of activity to find the two hours of the day when you’ve done the most Focus Work. It will suggest a Focus Zone during that time, usually lasting one hour (or shorter if you’re near the end of your workday).
You can see up to three Focus Zones per day, depending on your schedule. Each Focus Zone lasts about an hour by default.
During a Focus Zone, you can start a Focus Session by clicking either the RescueTime icon, which will bring up the Assistant main menu with the Focus Zone pinned alert, or the Focus icon (image below) in the menu bar.
Focus Zone Block Page
If enabled in your Focus Settings, during a Focus Zone, Personal/Distracting websites will be blocked. A Focus Zone is not a Focus Session but an assertive nudge to start a Focus Session.
You'll be shown three options:
1. Start a Focus Session: enter what you want to focus on and then hit the Start a Focus Session button.
- The Focus Session duration will be based on your Focus Settings "Default Focus Session length"
- The blocking level will default to personal/distracting sites and apps
2. Continue to [website]: Clicking Continue to... will allow you to continue to personal/distracting sites during this Focus Zone.
3. or continue & turn off blocking in this zone: this option will allow you to continue to distracting sites and all blocking will stop during this Focus Zone.
Note: This can be disabled on the Focus Settings page. You can also click on the Change Focus Zone blocking settings link, which will take you directly to the Focus Settings page to disable this option.
