Focus

What it’s for

Focus is a timer that helps you give one thing your full attention for a set time. It helps with:

• Getting started. Starting is often the hardest part of a task. With Focus, you only promise to work until the timer ends, not to finish the whole task. Once you’ve started, it’s usually easier to keep going.
• Staying focused. While the timer runs, other apps can’t interrupt you with notifications. Soft chimes tell you how much time has passed, so you don’t have to keep checking the clock.
• Setting aside time. The timer sets aside time for one task. It also stops a task from taking over your whole day.
• Meditation and exercise. The chimes ring even when your screen is off, so you can use Focus to time meditation, breathing exercises or a workout.

More on doing one thing at a time.

Working in timed blocks

Working for a set time and then taking a short break is called the Pomodoro technique. A common pattern is 25 minutes of work, then a 5-minute break. Taking planned breaks like this helps you focus better and feel less tired than taking breaks whenever you feel like it.¹

Glide doesn’t make you follow any pattern, so use what works for you. If you’ve never tried it, start with 25 minutes. It’s short enough to feel doable and long enough to get something done.

Starting a session

Set a time between 30 seconds and 60 minutes, then tap Start. If you start the timer from a task, it uses the task’s time estimate and shows the task’s name and notes.

During a session

The ring shows how much time is left. Below it, you’ll see the total time and how often the chimes ring. If you need more time, add 1, 5 or 25 minutes. If the timer is for a task, tap Mark done to finish the task. Glide then asks if you want to stop the timer.

The time left also shows in your notifications and on your lock screen. Tap it to go back to Focus.

Quiet during a session

While the timer runs, Glide turns on Do Not Disturb for everything except alarms. Other apps’ notifications wait, but Glide’s chimes still ring. When the timer ends or you stop it, Do Not Disturb goes back to how you had it. If you change Do Not Disturb yourself during a session, Glide leaves it the way you set it.

The first time you start a timer, Glide asks for permission to use Do Not Disturb. It starts working from your next session. To turn this off, go to You → Focus → Silence notifications during a session.

Chimes

In You → Focus, choose a chime every 1, 5 or 10 minutes. For the end of the timer, choose a sound, a vibration or nothing. Chimes are set as alarms, so Android may ask you to allow alarms and reminders.

Some devices, like e-ink tablets, stop Glide’s chimes when the screen turns off. On those devices, turn on You → Focus → Keep the screen on during a session.