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Sometimes you need brief access to something a plan blocks — a work-related YouTube video, or a message on Facebook. Pausing suspends blocking for a set time and then resumes automatically, so you never forget to switch the plan back on.

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Pause from the Plans List

  1. Open FocusMe and find the running plan
  2. Click its stop button and choose Pause from the small popup (or right-click the plan and choose Pause)
  3. In the Pause plan? dialog (Would you like to pause “Plan”?), check how many pauses you have left (or Unlimited pauses) and set Pause for: — the length of the pause
  4. Complete the plan’s pause challenge if it has one (random characters or a password), then click Pause. No thanks closes the dialog without pausing
The status pill changes to Paused and the ring turns amber. Blocking resumes on its own when the pause ends.
On plans that block the entire computer — screen breaks, for example — the command is called Postpone rather than Pause. It delays the next break and follows the same limits and protection.

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Pause from the Block Page

If the plan has Offer to Pause when blocked turned on, FocusMe asks whether you’d like to pause the moment you hit a blocked site or app:

The Pause plan? offer

The dialog shows how many pauses you have left today (or Unlimited pauses), lets you set Pause for:, and offers Pause or No thanks. Once paused, a Re-open button takes you straight back to the site you were trying to reach. Offer to Pause when blocked is off by default. Turn it on under How strict → Customize → Pause.

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Pause Limits

How often and how long you can pause is part of the plan’s protection preset: To set your own limits, click Customize on the How strict step. The Pause section has:
  • The pause challenge — Unprotected, Random, Password, or Disallowed
  • Offer to Pause when blocked
  • Pause limit (Per day) — the maximum number of pauses per day
  • Pause length (hh:mm) — the maximum duration of each pause
When you’ve used all of today’s pauses, Pause disappears from the context menu until tomorrow.
If pausing is Disallowed but the action has Partner Override and you have an accountability partner, the dialog offers to ask your partner instead. They can approve by email or give you a code to enter.

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Resume or Pause Again

Right-click a paused plan to see:
  • Resume — end the pause now and start blocking again
  • Pause Again (or Postpone Again) — take another pause, if you have any left
  • Stop — stop the plan entirely, completing its stop challenge

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Pause vs Stop

Pausing is the safer option — you know blocking will return. A stop delay, if the plan has one, keeps counting while the plan is paused.
If you find yourself pausing constantly, the plan may be too aggressive. Consider a Time Limit rule mode that gives you a daily budget instead of blocking outright.