Start a focus session

A focus session is a short, protected stretch of work. Most sessions last five minutes: short enough to begin even when you do not feel like it. When the time is up, PlexiDesk asks whether you want to stop there or keep going, and either answer counts as a win.

While a session runs, a timer sits at the top of the window, the rest of PlexiDesk fades back, and a session started on a desk shows that desk's name as your objective. The timer only counts time you actually spend on the work, so stepping away does not use it up.

Before you start

• Focus sessions are available on every plan and need no AI.
• One session runs at a time. If you start a new one while another is running, the first one is saved as finished and the new one takes over.
• A session started on a desk belongs to that desk. A session started from Home is not tied to any desk.

Start a session

On a desk

1. Open the desk.
2. In the quick actions in the header, click Focus (the lightning bolt).
3. A five-minute session starts on this desk. The button shows a filled bolt and its name reads Focused until the session ends.

See Desk quick actions in the header.

From your Home dashboard

• Click Focus mode at the top of the dashboard. A five-minute session starts that is not tied to a desk. While it runs, the button reads End focus mode.
• Or put a Focus timer widget on the board and click Start 5 min.

From a list of desks

• All Tasks. Rest the pointer on a row and click 5 min. The session starts on that desk, the desk moves from To do to In progress, and it opens. The button does not appear on finished desks. See See every task in All Tasks.
• Task link widget. On a Task link card, click 5 min to do the same for the desk it points to. See Task link widget.

From your calendar

On a block of focus time, click Start it now (the play button). The session lasts as long as the block, and when the block is booked for a desk, that desk opens. See Today's agenda widget.

From the hard-to-start prompt

When a desk you open looks hard to start, PlexiDesk may offer Just 5 minutes. See When a desk is hard to start.

When Plexii suggests one

While you are on a desk, Plexii can suggest a focus session of a given length as a card in the Plexii panel. Nothing starts until you approve the card. The session runs on the desk you have open, so Plexii cannot start one when no desk is open.

What you see while a session runs

• The timer. A pill at the top centre of the window counts down in minutes and seconds. A dot beside the time gently pulses while the timer counts.
• Your objective. On a desk session, a strip under the timer reads Objective followed by the desk's name.
• A quieter screen. The header and the bar along the bottom fade back and the side menu dims, so the desk stands out. Point at any of them and they come back to full strength. On a desk, a soft glow runs round the edge of the canvas.
• Your status. When you are signed in, people in your workspace see In a focus session beside your name, for example in the Team status widget.

When the timer pauses

The timer counts only while you are on the work:

• It pauses while PlexiDesk is not the window you are using, or is minimised.
• On a desk session, it also pauses while you are anywhere else in PlexiDesk, such as Home or another desk. Go back to the desk and it carries on.
• A session that is not tied to a desk keeps counting wherever you are inside PlexiDesk.

While the timer is paused, the pill fades, a pause sign replaces the dot and the pill says paused. After a minute away it also shows how many minutes you have been gone, for example paused · 3m away. Rest the pointer on the pill to see why it paused.

End a session

When the time is up

An alarm sounds, the timer turns green and a card opens: You showed up — that's the win., with the minutes you spent and the desk's name. Choose what to do next:

• Done for now ends the session.
• Keep going · 5 more starts another five minutes straight away.
• 15 min or 25 min (pomodoro) starts another session of that length.

A session you continue stays on the same desk. Each time you keep going, the timer shows how many times you have renewed, for example · renewed 2×, and the next card counts your rounds.

Pressing Esc or clicking outside the card counts as Done for now.

End early

Click the × on the timer pill. Its tooltip says End session early (no shame). On your Home dashboard you can also click End focus mode, or End on the Focus timer widget.

See your focus over time

Every session is kept. To look back at them, open the Brain area and choose Insights. The Focus insights page shows the last 7d or 30d:

• Focused time: the time you actually spent focused, not counting pauses.
• Sessions: how many you completed out of how many you started. Sessions you finished with Done for now or continued with Keep going count as completed. Sessions you ended early with the × do not.
• Typical session: the length of a typical session.
• When you focus: the hours of the day you focus most.
• Where your focus went: the desks that got the most of your focused time.

Tips

• Start smaller than you think. Five minutes is the whole promise. If it is going well, Keep going costs one click.
• Stay on the desk. A desk session counts only while that desk is open, so open what you need on the desk itself rather than switching away.
• Use a block for longer work. Book focus time on your calendar and start it with Start it now to get a session as long as the block.

Common questions

Can I choose a different length?

Sessions from Focus, Focus mode, the Focus timer widget and 5 min always last five minutes. When they end you can keep going for 5, 15 or 25 more. A session started from a calendar block lasts as long as the block.

Why did the timer stop counting?

PlexiDesk is not the window you are using, it is minimised, or, for a desk session, you are not on that desk. Come back and it carries on from where it stopped.

The Focus button on the desk cannot be clicked

A session is already running on this desk, and the button reads Focused. It returns to Focus when the session ends.

Is this the same as focus mode for a widget?

No. Focus mode for a widget opens one widget full screen and does not start a timer. See Open widgets full screen and side by side.

Does a desk's own countdown change?

A focus session and a desk's estimate are separate timers. Starting a session with 5 min or Just 5 minutes moves a To do desk to In progress, which also starts the desk's own countdown if it has a duration. See Track a desk's status and time.

Related tasks

• Focus tools in Plexii
• Focus timer widget
• Desk quick actions in the header
• When a desk is hard to start
• Long stretch reminders
• The Home dashboard