Be Focused – Focus Timer Ratings and Reviews

At least somewhat distracted basically ALL THE TIME

I have ADHD and this app really helps me control it. It allows my brain to see that I only need to focus on whatever I’m doing for a set amount of time and then I can take a break for a set amount of time. Without this app my breaks end up taking longer than my study time, so I basically just take breaks to study and then go back to doing whatever else I’d rather do and am actually able to focus on. It also helps remind me that I can’t procrastinate because I am being timed. Therefore, this app is especially helpful on days when I don’t just have 1 or 2 assignments to get done, but I actually have 4 assignments due that day and 2 I need to do from the day before and then 2 others that I should have gotten done A WHILE ago but I didn’t have the motivation, energy, or focus in order to do so.

In conclusion, IF YOU HAVE ADHD THEN YOU SHOULD GET THIS APP. And if you get it, then don’t be like me and USE IT OFTEN. ADHD doesn’t have to define you. It can be a superpower when used correctly. YOU GOT THIS! YOU ARE CAPABLE, SMART, MOTIVATED, FOCUSED, BRAVE, AND CREATIVE! Also if you are like me and have been labeled as “slow” your whole life, then here is an important reminder: YOU ARE NOT SLOW! YOUR BRAIN JUST WORKS DIFFERENTLY. YOU JUST HAVE DIFFERENT SUPER POWERS AND STRENGTHS! The hard part is remembering that and learning how to use and control them in order to be our best selves.

Addictive and extremely satisfying creation

I have been using this app for over a year and I can’t put into words the amount of satisfaction it brings me. Everything is just the way I would want and imagine to make if I were to design the app; simple and rather minimalistic (compared to most other apps) but contains all of the features I would need to be completely happy (the last of which was added very recently — deadline button). No clutter and very user friendly.

It was very addictive to me; so be careful.

I bought the paid version too to be able to synchronize my data and have it in all of my devices. However, the only sad part about this is that (at the moment) I don’t think I will be able to transfer the data I have been collecting for over a year from my unpaid version to my paid version to be able to keep and display it as well. So for now I keep using the unpaid version until I either find a different way of transferring it, or the developer adds a feature like that, or I get enough courage to say “goodbye” to my lovely and diligently collected large data set.

Despite remaining an unpaid version used while having the paid version, I have no regrets at all for my purchase and I hope the developer gets many more people discovering his apps and becoming as happy as I am with it/them.

THANK YOU!

Easy to use

I used another timer before switching to BeFocused which worked for a while and then started having idiosyncrasies. It would stop if I was playing a podcast or answered the phone and then not it wouldn’t start up automatically. It didn’t let me know that it stopped timing.

Not only does BeFocused keep time unless I stop it, it asks that I start each timer. I like this because if I’m in the middle of something, the “break” timer doesn’t start until I tell activate it.

The free version allows the user to set up their own timer schedule. Also I can run the timer for various different tasks. I did this at first. Now I just run the timer regardless if I’m working on administrative stuff or specific projects. I don’t need to keep that close an eye on my time but can if I want.

New suggested features

I just upgraded to Pro and wanted to use its ability of tags and csv exports to analyze how I spent my time. I’m thinking: 1. Is it possible to also add “tag” in the exported csv? 2. Does the app have access to the local time for each task, ie. when it started/ended? This might be more difficult because people can pause the timer, and the start-to-end local time can be confusing. Maybe just recording the start time makes more sense. Just some humble ideas that I thought would improve my own time-analysis, I understand if they’re not that cost-effective. Just wanna say really love this app you guys made:)

Useful and simple

After downloading a few pomodoro apps, I liked this one the best due to it's simplicity, and that it has the features I wanted. It includes an alarm, easy to categorize your "focus" times, and make any adjustments if needed. A lot of other apps were very complex. I wanted something I could learn in the matter of seconds. If your main focus is to spend more deliberate times, why spend too much time learning an app? I am able to categorize my work, study, and free time.

I'd recommend to the developers to create a feature where you can enter your own manual time, more of a time management tool. That would make a good addition, making the app a more robust. Even for $1.99, I'd buy it. Especially since I would want to enter my time I'm wasting. I could compare how much I'm spending on productive time vs wasteful times.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for the suggestion! It was added to our wish list. We'll consider the ability to implement it in the future updates.

Great focus timer app among similar free apps

I have used this app for about a week or so, it is simple but also practical, so till now I have chosen to use app among several others that I have installed.I like the way you can customize sessions and breaks, sounds, tasks. The one annoying feature for me is lake of dark mode theme on the app, the widget has dark mode but unfortunately the app theme doesn’t change to a dark mode. Look forward for an update and thanks for your efforts to keep it free. Also as a suggestion it would be great if the app has a Lock Screen widget while using it, I mean having some sort of widget as the one in the homepage but on the Lock Screen to show you how much time is left without unlocking the phone.
Kind Regards 🙏🏼

A Few Things

Seeing as how this app hasn’t been updated in over a year, I doubt anything will be done about this.

It tracks time and tasks well, I like the categorization of tasks feature. My issues lie with the Watch app being hit or miss as to whether you can begin tracking from the app. Sometimes it works, I can literally see the clock ticking away. Then I check it a few minutes later and it has reset as if it was never started in the first place, and no progress is logged for the task even if the allotted time has passed. Which brings me to my second issue... notifications. The app is again unreliable in chiming when time is up. It does this on both the phone and the watch. It makes it difficult to take breaks when time is up, or to know when a break is over and it’s time to begin working again.

Great reminder to take a break

I love using this app. They say you learn better and can focus more if you break your work into short blocks of time. It’s also not good to sit for too long. This app helps remind me to take a break. I set it to do 20 minute blocks with five minute breaks after each block and a long 15 minute break after four blocks. I get up and move around during each break. It’s easy to loose track of time but this app fixes that issue. I also love that it tracks everything so I’m able to see how productive I’ve been at the end of the day.

Buggy - options don't work properly

If you just want to use this as a basic 25/15 timer with no extra features, this app will work fine. But the feature that lets you give the items on your task list custom times doesn't work. You can set it to whatever time, but as soon as you hit start, it's going to go for 25 regardless of what you set it to. Also, there's a blank task item you can't get rid of that's just kinda there for no reason. You can't even edit it to use it for one of your tasks. You can edit the time but not the name.

The basic timer works, but there are plenty of other pomodoro apps that are just a timer. The point of choosing this one was that it supposedly had some extra features, but they don't work.

Simple and effective

Not all apps need a million buttons and whistles and this app proves that true. It’s simple, clean, and easy to use. If you’re like me and tend to get up every 5 minutes because whatever, this is a great app to help keep you on track! You can change the work and break times to fit your schedule which I really enjoy. I like to work for 35 minutes and break for 10 instead of the default 25 min work/5 min break. I like that you can also add a label to your “work” so you can keep track of your time spent on multiple projects.