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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). Random characters pause the plan as soon as they match; otherwise click Pause. Cancel 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. The dialog reads Postpone break? with Postpone for: and a Postpone button. 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 a pause on the block page turned on, the notification that tells you something was blocked has a Pause plan button. Click it to open the pause dialog:

The Pause plan? offer

The dialog shows how many pauses you have left today (or Unlimited pauses) and lets you set Pause for:. Tick Re-open … when the pause starts to go straight back to the site you were trying to reach once the pause begins. Near the end of a pause, FocusMe warns you: Pause ends in … seconds. If the plan offers pauses on the block page and you have pauses left, that notification has an Extend pause button for another pause. Offer a pause on the block page is off by default. Turn it on under How strict → Customize → Pause the plan.

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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 the plan row has:
  • The pause challenge — Unprotected, Random, Password, or Disallowed
  • Offer a pause on the block page
  • Per day — the maximum number of pauses per day
  • Up to … each — the maximum duration of each pause
When you’ve used all of today’s pauses, Pause disappears from the context menu until tomorrow.
If the pause row has Partner can approve ticked and you have an accountability partner, the pause dialog also offers Request Partner Approval. Your partner is asked for the length you set, and can approve by email or give you a code to enter. If they approve after you’ve closed the dialog, the pause starts by itself.

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Resume or Pause Again

Click a paused plan’s button to resume it straight away, or right-click it 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.
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.