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Constant inbox checking is a major productivity killer. FocusMe can block the inbox view of webmail while an allow list entry keeps a standalone compose page open. This guide explains what is possible and where the limits are.

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How it works

Webmail is a website, so the usual rules apply: the block list decides what is blocked, and the allow list always takes priority. Blocking the mail domain and allowing only the compose address gives you a “send but don’t read” setup.
This only works with webmail in a browser, and only when the page you allow has an address that differs from the inbox. Desktop clients such as Outlook or Thunderbird are single applications: FocusMe can block or allow the whole app, not one view inside it.

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Gmail

  1. Click Add a Plan and name the plan
  2. On What to block, with Blocked selected, add mail.google.com
  3. Switch the segmented control to Allowed and add the standalone compose address:
  1. Click the allow row and set its match to Starts With
  2. Finish the wizard with a schedule, a How strict preset and Create & Enable
Bookmark https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1 in your browser. It opens Gmail’s compose window on its own, without loading the inbox, so you can send a message without seeing what has arrived.
Composing from inside the inbox does not work, because that view shares the inbox address and stays blocked. Always start from the bookmark.

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Outlook (web)

  1. Block outlook.live.com (personal) or outlook.office.com (work)
  2. On the allow list add outlook.live.com/mail/compose or outlook.office.com/mail/compose with a Starts With match

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Limits to be aware of

  • The browser addon is needed. Matching on a query string such as ?view=cm relies on the exact address reported by the FocusMe addon. Install it from Settings > Browsers for the browser you use. See Browser Extension.
  • Provider addresses change. Gmail and Outlook can change how their compose pages are addressed. If sending stops working, open the compose page and check its address with the Helper, then update the allow entry.
  • Similarity protection may reject an allow entry that is very close to a blocked one, showing a Blocked: message. Open Advanced on What to block and lower Similarity protection if that happens.
  • Notifications and previews from the mail provider are outside FocusMe’s control.

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Alternative: schedule your email windows

Many people find it simpler to batch email instead of partially blocking it:
  1. Create a plan that blocks mail.google.com (or your provider) with a Weekly Schedule
  2. Use the Office Hours preset, then drag the blocks on the timeline so they leave gaps at 9:00, 12:00 and 16:00
  3. Email is fully available in the gaps and fully blocked, reading and sending alike, the rest of the time
For a lighter touch, set the time block’s rule mode to Session Limit and allow, say, 3 sessions per Day of up to 15 m each. See Rule Types. Learn more about the scheduler →