Everything in FocusMe revolves around Plans. A plan is a set of rules that defines what to block, when to block it, and how strictly to enforce it.
The Plans Dashboard
When you open FocusMe, you land on the Plans tab. This is your control centre.
Each plan appears as a row showing:
- Plan name and description
- Targets — icons indicating which websites/apps are blocked
- Plan type — Block, Time Limit, Session Limit, or Screen Breaks
- Schedule — when the plan runs
- Protection — whether the plan is password-protected
- Status — active, paused, or stopped
Actions
- Add a Plan — opens the Plan Wizard to create a new plan
- Library — browse and import pre-built plan templates
- Start / Stop — activate or deactivate a plan
- Edit — double-click a plan to modify it
- Rename — double-click the plan name or right-click → Rename
- Duplicate — right-click → Duplicate to create a copy with all settings
- Drag to reorder — drag plans up and down to change their order in the list
- Right-click — access the full context menu with import/export, reset, and more
Anatomy of a Plan
Every plan has four components configured through the Plan Wizard:
1. Targets
What gets blocked (or allowed). You can:
- Block some websites — blacklist specific URLs or window titles
- Block all websites — whitelist only the sites you need
- Block some apps — blacklist specific desktop apps
- Block all apps — whitelist only the apps you need
- Block entire computer — lock out everything (for enforced breaks)
2. Plan Type
How the blocking is enforced:
| Plan Type | Behaviour |
|---|
| Block | Targets are completely inaccessible while the plan is active |
| Time Limit | You get a budget of allowed time (e.g., 15 min/hour, 2 hr/day). Once used up, targets are blocked |
| Session Limit | Restricts how many times you can open a target per day. Each session has a fixed duration with mandatory breaks between them |
| Screen Breaks | Forces you away from the screen at regular intervals (always applies to the entire computer) |
3. Schedule
When the plan runs:
| Mode | Behaviour |
|---|
| Focus Session | Start manually, runs for a set duration with an optional delay |
| Weekly Schedule | Recurring weekly timetable (e.g., Mon-Fri 9-5) |
| Pomodoro | Structured work/break cycles (e.g., 25 min work, 5 min break) |
| Multi-Day Plan | Unique schedule for each day — ideal for challenges or programmes |
4. Protection
How difficult it is to bypass:
| Level | Difficulty |
|---|
| None | One click to stop |
| Password | Must enter your chosen password |
| Random Characters | Must type a long random string — discourages impulsive stopping |
| Enforced | Cannot be stopped at all until the schedule allows it |
Running Multiple Plans
You can run any number of plans simultaneously. Common setups:
- “Work Focus” — blocks social media Mon-Fri 9-5 (Weekly Schedule + Block)
- “Eye Health” — enforces a 5-minute break every 45 minutes (Screen Breaks)
- “Evening Wind-Down” — blocks all screens after 10pm (Block + Enforced)
- “Social Media Diet” — allows 30 minutes of social media per day (Time Limit)
Plans are independent — starting or stopping one does not affect the others.
Punisher
The Punisher adds escalating consequences for repeatedly trying to open blocked sites or apps. Each time you attempt to access a blocked target, the punishment gets harsher — blocking extends for longer, making it progressively less worthwhile to keep trying.
Example escalation: You try to open Instagram while it’s blocked. First attempt: 5 extra minutes of blocking. Second attempt within the reoffence window: 10 minutes. Third: 30 minutes. By the time you’ve tried a few times, you’ve added hours of additional blocking on top of your original schedule.
| Setting | Description |
|---|
| Max blocks | Maximum number of offences before the harshest punishment applies. After this many attempts, every subsequent attempt triggers the maximum punishment duration. |
| Reoffence window | How quickly you must reoffend for it to count as an escalation (e.g., within 10 minutes). If you wait longer than this between attempts, the escalation resets. |
| Punishment duration | How long additional blocking lasts per reoffence. This multiplies with each escalation level. |
The Punisher is especially effective for habitual sites — the ones you navigate to without thinking. Combine it with plan protection so you can’t simply stop the plan to escape the escalating punishment.
Idle Timeout
Plans can be configured with an idle timeout that pauses the timer when your computer is idle (no keyboard or mouse activity). After 30 seconds of inactivity, FocusMe stops counting time against your budget or session.
This is enabled by default and is most useful for Time Limit and Screen Break plans — it ensures that stepping away from your desk doesn’t eat into your allowed time or trigger an unnecessary break. Configure it in the Plan Wizard on the plan details page.
Notifications
Each plan has its own notification toggles, configured in Step 6 of the Plan Wizard:
- Status changes — plan started, stopped, or paused
- Usage alerts — approaching your time limit
- Soon starting — advance warning before a scheduled plan activates
- Soon ending — warning before a session or schedule period ends
- Fixed intervals — periodic reminders at set intervals that the plan is active
Global notification settings (position, sounds, suppression) are controlled in Settings → Notifications. 
