Windows 11's New Focus Mode Is Pretty Useful

In its most recent update, Windows 11 added a tiny new feature called Focus, a humble little productivity tool that is little more than a timer. While the concept of a productivity timer that ticks down as you work is not a new concept, the way that Focus is implemented has made it a convenient and lightweight tool for people struggling to stay on task.

Its an expansion of the already existing Focus Assist feature that the OS has had for a while. While Focus Assist works by stopping most applications from sending notifications during set parts of the day or when manually triggered, Focus will enforce it for a set amount of time.

It’s quite similar to other productivity tools such as Pomodoro timer in that Focus is intended cultivate short bursts of productivity within a set timeframe before starting a break period. The difference is that Focus is a part of Windows 11 itself, letting it do more with less. **

How To Use Windows 11 Focus

The feature was added in version 22H2, the OS’ September update. You will also need the Clock app and the Microsoft To-Do app, both of which are available by default.

To use it, start by clicking on the date and time part of your Taskbar. You will find the relevant buttons below the Calendar section. Starting a Focus session will limit notifications appearing on your Taskbar for the duration of the session.

At the same time, it will start a timer that will count down on your Clock app, giving you a period to complete your tasks within.

It has further integrations with Microsoft To-Do as it is able to sync with any tasks list that you’ve populated to help you keep track of how much time you have spent on your individual tasks

Using Windows 11 Focus With Other Apps

Out of the box, Focus works with the Windows native Clock and Microsoft To-Do applications for most of its functionality. That said, it can also sync with Spotify to provide you with music and podcasts during focus sessions.

Unfortunately, Focus cannot sync task lists with other productivity apps such as Evernote and Todoist. While there are paid services to get around this issue, there is no native interoperability to allow such things to happen.

While this means that you can’t assign specific tasks to each Focus session, it's a minor feature at best and will not interfere with the actual use of the feature, setting productivity timers.

Final Thoughts On Windows 11 Focus Mode

The feature, while not particularly elaborate or complex, is perfect at doing what it sets out to do. Though it doesn’t integrate with any third-party services and doesn’t do anything special, its simplicity means that it does what you need it to and nothing more.