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I have been using FocusMe software on all my PCs and phones for over six years. I have a paid license. I would really like to commend the developers of FocusMe. As someone who spends more than 8 hours a day at a computer, it is easy to let it take over your life, even to the point where I found myself watching, chatting and posting even when I didn't particularly want to. I wanted to take control, and FocusMe was a really good solution. FocusMe differed from other products because it handled the entire scope of the problem: 1) lock out stuff from my kids, 2) lock out some of the same stuff from me, 3) not interfere with special internet use (like GitHub, or work related youtube), and 4) to give a whole range of solutions for partial lockout, by time, location, overall usage, multiple password schemes, etc. They do a really good job protecting the software from anyone who might trying to hack around it. There really isn't anything like it.
Wow! Where should I start? I've been constantly searching in these two years for finding a complete solution that could really help me manage my digital distractions and focus on my daily life routines, most applications are either not effective enough, so easy to circumvent or very resource-intensive, then I found FocusMe!
1) It has everything I was searching for, most applications are not effective enough, some are just browser extensions, have a few options and not customizable enough, with FocusMe I can easily create very flexible plans to:
a) Destroy bad habits and create good ones. For example block Internet at a certain time of night to help me sleep at a certain time each night. This has helped my insomnia a lot and my sleep times are getting regulated now.
b) Block unnecessary and possible harmful contents completely. For example, it may be a personal choice but I choose to block online adult contents for most weekdays, which has helped my brain to regulate my dopamine system tremendously.
c) Time limit other contents during work days, Contents that are useful but can also easily waste a lot of your daily time if not careful enough, like emails, news, social media...
2) Most other applications can be circumvented easily, if you have a little computer knowledge, most of these applications are useless, but FocueMe! OMG! It goes to great lengths to make sure you stick to your plan, when you create and start a plan, you can't cheat it! You can even create punishment if you try to bypass your plan, to restrict your access more which can prevent any kind of future cheatings. It is evident that FocusMe creators really love what they do and really pay attention to details, which is what distinguishes this from most other similar applications.
3) Some other applications are very resource-intensive, you can see in windows task manager that they swallow all of your computer resources or even slow down your web surfing/loading experiences which makes them useless, because no one wants to have a slower computer just to have an application to control his/her daily habits, but when I use FocusMe, there are no computer/web surfing slow downs and also the resource consumption is minimal which also makes this software a great choice.
4) Last but not least, FocusMe has a superb support system, you never feel alone on your path to more success and focus, they are always there for you answering your questions and always updating the software to newer greater versions.
Let me emphasize this point: I don't know how I could live without this application and I wished I had found it sooner! Those that are searching for applications to help them live a healthier life know what I mean if they read my explanations above. It took me two years to find you, FocusMe! I would give you 10 stars if I could!
After all these years, I finally feel in control of my life and my time, Thank you.
It just all works properly unlike other softwares. I am very happy because if I have minor troubles, customer support is there the same day to help me fix it. A lot of good locking systems that so far I haven't been able to cheat.
One day 10 years ago while freelancing on upwork (odesk), I realized I had only gotten 3 hours of actual productive work done all day. The rest of the time was lost on all kinds of digital distractions. I started using FocusMe a week later and within 6 months I finally launched my first successful business. That was 5 years later than intended, but hey. Better late than never!
I don't think I could have done it without FocusMe. Digital distractions are productivity death by a thousand cuts. Silicon Valley pays brain scientists millions to make their products as addictive and distracting as possible. I’ve tried just about all other distraction blockers on the market, but they are easily circumvented. FocusMe has a “forced” mode – you WILL get your work done.
I'm an evangelist for this program. I always tell everyone about it. In this day and age, unless you have the willpower of a Tibetan Temple Elder, you may not even realize how many countless hours get lost every day, seeping through the cracks, seconds and minutes at a time. Unnoticed. Adding up to years of your life.
How much is it worth to get your life back? To finally get around to all the things you've been putting off for years? A million dollars? I don't know. What I do know is that I can't possibly recommend this program highly enough. FocusMe I want your autograph! If you were a woman I'd marry you. If I was a woman I'd want your baby.
I would probably be homeless if it wasn't for FocusMe. I use it to block all sites except sites I need for work. Source: about 1 year ago
It's called FocusMe (https://focusme.com/). I came across some years ago when it was still a simple little app. You had to manually set it to block a site and enter in a time period. I had my daily working schedule that I use now set up and I wanted FocusMe to run on a schedule as well. He freaked out when I told him how I would use his app: killing the app via DOS at the end of a time period, renaming the... Source: about 1 year ago
How about Forest - https://www.forestapp.cc/ or FocusMe - https://focusme.com/. Source: over 1 year ago
I agree with the other answers that it is not your responsibility. For people that would like an efficient blocker for themselves, I used FocusMe during my time at ETH which works well. Source: over 1 year ago
I don't know of any specific app that does what you want but you can mix it up across platforms. I track all my writing time with Toggl Track's free plan and I use Google Sheets for word count. If you're looking for distraction blockers I'd recommend Forest for your web browser if you want something free, but if you're willing to pay for something more powerful I recommend Freedom or the even more restrictive... Source: over 1 year ago
I also use app blockers. In particular, I use focusme for desktop u/minecraft_god_2008 would highly recommend checking this out and specifically having someone else assign a password for the block. You can then go to them if you want the app unblocked, but I found that when I did this, I never once asked my SO for the password (except one to research something that contained a blocked phrase, that's it!) I totally... Source: almost 3 years ago
Make not doing your work more costly. At the end of last semester, I used FocusMe to completely block social media for the first half of the day. I would try to sign into Reddit and the program would immediately close the tab. Source: almost 3 years ago
This is what worked for me: Beeminder, blockers like FocusMe, get up early, intermittent fasting. Source: almost 3 years ago
Many of you on this subreddit are probably aware of the app FocusMe. I won't take any space here to explain how it works except to say it uses flexible rules to actively block web sites and apps on your devices. I've been playing with FocusMe for a few years now and through trial and error I've come up with a pattern that works well in keeping me from spending too much time on the internet. Source: almost 3 years ago
Do you mean focusme.com? Looks great, no need to waste energy avoiding temptation when you can just block it :). Source: about 3 years ago
Also I like FocusMe. It just doesn't work to force one to be productive... I even suggested the Breaks via Hotkey functionality for it, but they did not apply it, so I made my own software :P. Source: about 3 years ago
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This is an informative page about FocusMe. You can review and discuss the product here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.
