Emphasis: Flow & Focus Timer 4+

I’ve used several apps that apply the pomodoro technique, each with great success. But I’ve found this app to boost my productivity like never before. The boost in productivity has unexpectedly come from the timer being a graphic representation as opposed to the numerical representation common among most productivity apps. I noticed with the graphic timer I look at the timer a lot less and focus more on the work I’m doing. This could be because rather than thinking “Oh I have 5:32 left on the clock” (which I do often with numerical countdown timers) I see an estimate visually represented by a pie graphic and I think “There is still time left, so just keep working.” This “so just keep working” default that has come from not knowing the amount of time left down to the last second has helped me “just keep working” which was my objective in using the app. Couple this graphic timer with the simple progress tracker and minimalist user interface, this app has given me tremendous value in regard to productivity, especially as I continue working on my dissertation.

I don't do a lot of app reviews but Emphasis is seriously impressive! This app has everything - from its sleek design to its endless customization options and user-friendly interface. It's like having a mini productivity sidekick right in your pocket. You know those days when you feel like you've blinked and hours have passed? Emphasis' sleek Pomodoro timer keeps me on track and focused.

And further, for different kinds of tasks, I’ve set up custom timers and chimes. For example, I’ve added an “I can do anything for 5-minutes” timer here. Anytime I’m not feeling productive, or procrastinating, I simply tell myself that I’ll do it for 5 minutes and turn on this timer, before I know it, I’m deep into work, and making progress.

I've tried many Pomodoro apps and even owned a physical timer, but none of those are easy to stick to. Each one of them has one limitation or the other. This is the first app that I've stuck to using for a month, and keep coming back to.

With the calendar view, you can quickly review how you spend your time, complete with neat pie charts that break it down.

I would strongly recommend keeping the widget on the Home Screen. It reminds me how I want to spend my time.

I have been using this timer for over a year. It has helped immensely with my productivity, as I use it to time my “animedoro” sessions. The interface is clean and easy to use. The design is pretty, and having the timer not use the exact minutes left is a great feature so it doesn’t feel like I’m just counting down the minutes until my break.

However, I have been steadily running into the same issue. I will start a work session, and the session will end without a notification or ding if I'm in another app despite me having both my sound and notifications on. I have it on my iPad, where I also take my notes at the same time, so it is possible this may be causing issues. Another problem I have is that I will finish a work session, and it will have me start another work session by pressing the timer, instead of starting my short break. Often times, I do not notice that it has changed and will accidentally start a new work session when I mean to be on a break.