Focus timer
The focus timer makes time visible. Start it for one specific step, and a ring shows how much time remains. Nothing more. That simplicity is the point.
It is designed for moments when you know what to do but cannot get started—and for moments when you begin, then realise two hours later that the time has disappeared.
Why this can help
Many neurodivergent people do not sense time as it passes. An appointment is in the calendar, you have seen it, and yet time rushes past. This is often called time blindness. You can read more in the article Time blindness with AuDHD.
One way to work with time blindness is to move time from the inside to the outside. If you cannot reliably feel time, you need to be able to see it. The ring in the focus timer provides an external sense of time that does not depend on how you feel that day.
It can help in two places:
- Starting. A task with no visible end feels endless, and endless things are hard to begin. “Fifteen minutes, then I may stop” is a much smaller threshold than “until it is finished.”
- Stopping. If you easily slip into hyperfocus, the timer is an anchor back to the rest of your day. It lets you know when time is up so one activity does not consume half the day unnoticed.
How it works
You can start a focus timer anywhere that has a concrete step: a routine step, an entire flow, an appointment or a step within an appointment.
- Select the timer button on the step. It shows the configured duration, for example
25 min. - The timer starts and the focus view opens with a large ring, the step title and the remaining time.
- Do the task. Everything else can wait briefly.
- When the time is up, the timer lets you know.
While it is running, you have a few controls:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Pause / Resume | Pauses the countdown and resumes it when you are ready |
| Add 5 minutes | Adds another five minutes if you need them |
| Done | Completes the step |
| End timer | Stops the timer without marking the step complete |
The timer continues in the background if you close the view or put the app aside. You can reopen it at any time from the timer button on the step.
Complete automatically
When you configure a step, you can enable Complete automatically. The step will then mark itself complete when the time runs out. This is useful for activities that simply need a fixed amount of time, such as “Tidy for ten minutes” or “Study for twenty minutes.” You do not have to remember to select the checkmark afterwards.
If you prefer to complete the step yourself, leave the option off. The timer will notify you, and you decide what happens next.
How long should a timer be?
Often shorter than you think. A timer that feels too long can become another barrier.
- Is starting difficult? Try five or ten minutes. Beginning is often enough for momentum to follow.
- Focused work? Twenty-five minutes is a well-established block.
- Do you easily lose track of time? Set a timer deliberately so the activity has a clear endpoint.
Choose from preset durations between five and sixty minutes, or enter another duration under Custom time.
When to leave it off
The focus timer is an option, not an obligation. On some days, time pressure does not help and only makes everything feel tighter. Leave it off and work through the steps without it. Starting counts, with or without a timer.
If time and structure are difficult more broadly, read How I structure everyday life with AuDHD. The focus timer is only one part of that system.
