Get to Know Focus Sessions

What you'll learn

• Starting a Focus Session
• Focus Session Warmup
• Blocking levels and block pages
• Post Focus Session report
• Global state of Focus Sessions

Focus Sessions were designed to put you in a better mindset for completing your most important tasks. The Focus Session experience includes distraction blocking, an optional warmup, block page reminders, a post Focus Session summary, and sessions that extend across all your devices. 

During a Focus Session RescueTime can block both distracting websites and desktop apps, as well as communication like chat apps and email. 

Starting a Focus Session

Click the blue target button in the bottom-right corner of the Assistant to get started.

Enter a short description, choose a project or task (optional), and choose your blocking level and duration. Blocking levels include no blocking, blocking distractions, and blocking distractions and communications. Choose from default durations or enter a custom time. Click "Begin session" to start the timer.

Prior to starting your session, you'll have the option to start a guided warmup or add music. We recommend trying the warmup at least once, to experience everything that Focus Sessions have to offer. 

After your session, your project, task, and description appear on your Timesheets timeline for the time you worked.

Focus Session Warmup

Focus Session prep is an optional part of the Focus Session that will help you prepare for work that requires concentration and focus. During the  Prep your environment and body warmups, you will go through a series of screens with optional audio narration guiding you to prepare your environment and body before starting a Focus Session.

After your Focus Session prep and/or warmups, your Focus Session will begin. 

Add Music

If you want to listen to music during a Focus Session and have a Spotify Premium account, then you can choose a Spotify playlist (RescueTime or your own) during Focus Session prep. During a Focus Session, you can pause or play the music using the button on the music bar at the bottom of the Assistant.

To connect Spotify to RescueTime requires a Spotify Premium account. You can connect your Spotify Premium account to RescueTime during Focus Session prep or on the Focus Settings page. 

After clicking the "Add music" link, click  Listen on Spotify >  Log in to Spotify (if you are not logged in) > Agree to connect Spotify to RescueTime 

You can also connect to Spotify directly from your Focus Settings page > click on + add a music streaming service and you'll be taken to the Spotify sign-in to agree to Spotify permissions.

Once connected your Spotify integration will look like this:

To ensure that Spotify plays from the Assistant, it's necessary to be logged into your Spotify account.

Note: The Assistant only recognizes Spotify playlists listed under your Spotify profile. To add a playlist to your profile, open Spotify, find the playlist you would like to add, click on the three dots and choose  Add to profile. Once it's added, you will see the playlist as a Focus Session music option.

You can disable your Spotify integration from the Focus Settings page under Music Integration. Click on the gear icon and choose Remove service.

Blocking Options and Block Pages

You're in control of your blocking level. There are three options:

• No blocking: You don't want any desktop apps or websites blocked (activities you rank as Personal Activities on your Activities page) during a Focus Session
• Block distracting sites and apps: You want only distracting or personal desktop apps and websites blocked during a Focus Session
• Block distracting + communication apps and sites: You want desktop apps, websites, and any activities categorized as communication apps blocked during a Focus Session. 

During a Focus Session, when you visit a website or desktop app that is categorized as a Personal or Distracting Activity on your Activities page, you will see a block page in your web browser. 

• When visiting a blocked website, the block page will replace the website on your web browser
• When visiting a blocked desktop app, the block page will open a new web browser window. Blocked desktop apps remain present behind the web browser block screen, but you will need to click on the  Continue to [name of app] button on the block page to access the app.

The information displayed on the block page coincides with the information displayed on your Assistant:

• The task you entered as your focus during your Focus Session prep. There is an 85-character limit. Currently, these tasks will not be recorded in your reports. This will change with upcoming updates. 
• The Focus Session timer countdown along with when the session will end
• The number of people also in a Focus Session. You can connect to RescueTime's Workfrom space by clicking the Join a digital workspace link on the block page or your Assistant. Workfrom is a virtual cafe that allows you to work alongside other Focus Buddies on or off camera. 

You can unblock a website (or desktop app) from the block page. Click  Continue to [name of site or app] button. This will bring up three options:

• No: the activity is unblocked forever and automatically added to Other Work on your Activities page
• Yes: the activity is unblocked for the duration of your Focus Session
• Nevermind! I want to stay focused!: the activity will continue to be blocked

If you choose to block communication apps during your Focus Session prep, and you go to an activity that you categorized as a communication app, you will be taken to the block page.

Note: Choosing this block level will result in ALL activities categorized as communication app to be blocked during a Focus Session even those scored or ranked as Focus Work.

On Mac

During a Focus Session, a countdown timer icon with a completion bar will appear in the menu bar. The bar fills as the timer counts down. Clicking on either the RescueTime icon or the timer will open the Assistant in a Focus Session state. 

On Windows

During a Focus Session, the RescueTime icon in your taskbar becomes a progress meter that fills as the Focus Session counts down. Hover over the RescueTime icon in your taskbar to see the Assistant. You can access the Assistant from either the taskbar or the system tray.

End or Cancel Session

End your Focus Session by clicking Cancel session or End session.

When you first begin a Focus Session, you'll see the Cancel session option in the top-right corner of the Assistant. Canceled sessions do not count toward total Focus Sessions in your Focus Sessions report. 

After five minutes, you'll see the End session option. Ended sessions count toward Focus Sessions in your Focus Sessions report. 

Post Focus Session Report

At the end of the Focus Session, the Assistant will ask you if you completed your work (if a description was entered). Completed work is shown in your daily Assistant summary.

You will then see a Focus Session report showing you how you did. You can learn more by going to your reports on the RescueTime website.

The summary report breaks down your stats with the following information:

• Focus Session time against your daily Focus Work goal. This time represents the time you spent on Focus Work activities during a Focus Session. 
• Number of distractions RescueTime blocked during the session
• Your Focus Session day streak which only includes days in your work schedule
• Total number of people also focusing during the session

Global State of Focus Sessions

Focus Sessions run in the global state, meaning that when you start a Focus Session on one device, you'll be in a Focus Session across all devices connected to your RescueTime account. RescueTime needs to be running in the background for sessions to start.

When the Focus Session ends, you'll receive a Focus Session summary report on the device where you started the session. The post Focus Session report will not appear on all devices.

Note: There may be a one-minute delay between Focus Sessions starting on other devices.