Focus Friend: A Gamified Approach to Combating Phone Addiction and Enhancing Focus
The Allure of the Knitting Bean
The bean within the Focus Friend app has but one simple desire - to knit. Poe, the animated brown bean I named in the app, diligently stitches away, crafting what will eventually become socks - provided I can resist the temptation to disrupt its progress. However, my need to check texts proves too strong. After a mere six minutes, I cancel the timer, despite the warning that Poe's knitting will unravel, causing it to slump dejectedly as its work falls apart, a little bubble of disappointment floating above its head. "It's ok, we tried," it reassures me. Alas, the text I was so eager to see turns out to be spam.
The Rise of Focus Friend
Focus Friend, a productivity timer app designed to keep users off their phones by essentially commandeering it for knitting, has rapidly ascended the mobile app charts in recent days. At the time of writing, it holds the second position on Google Play and the third on the App Store. Conceived by developer Bria Sullivan and YouTuber/author Hank Green, it has briefly outperformed popular apps such as ChatGPT, TikTok, and the now-infamous Tea.
A Growing Movement in Digital Detox
Focus Friend is not the pioneer of its kind but rather the latest addition to a burgeoning movement of apps, including Forest, Focus Traveler, Exocus, and Focus Tree. These apps, much like the Pomodoro method - which divides work into focused and rest periods - utilize a timer to encourage users to lock in and tune out distractions. However, unlike the traditional analog Pomodoro, these apps gamify the experience with rewards. For every successful, uninterrupted knitting session, the bean creates socks that I can exchange for decorations, which then adorn its otherwise barren living space - a small brown room with wooden floors.
The Art of Emotional Engagement
Sullivan has masterfully designed the app to evoke a sense of guilt and affection towards the bean. Green, she reveals, was specific in his design instructions: "He said the character should be a bean, and it should have a butt crack." Users are invited to name their bean, which wanders around its room, making puns like "Beenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and pondering philosophical questions like "if beans have parents." Sullivan emphasizes the importance of giving the bean a distinct personality and point of view, as it reminisces about its past or contemplates its identity. "That makes people more emotionally invested in what's happening," she states.
User Testimonials
McKenna, a 19 - year - old Focus Friend user who prefers to remain anonymous, concurs, attributing the bean's persona to making the app more "fun" and accessible. While McKenna has found the Pomodoro method and productivity timers generally helpful, they had yet to find one they truly liked until now. "I have also been using Focus Friend to set a timer for myself in the morning so I am more motivated to be off of my phone and get out of bed," they add.
The Ubiquity of Phone Addiction
Even the bean is not impervious to the allure of the phone. Sullivan has incorporated an animation of the bean enjoying a scroll, tongue out, during breaks between focus sessions. Sullivan herself admits to multitasking while on the phone, as she's busy changing a diaper. "I feel like I use my phone against my will, most of the time," she says, confessing to a sense of addiction. "There's a lot of guilt that comes with owning a phone and participating in technology these days," she laments.
The Broader Landscape of Phone Use Reduction
The desire to lower phone use is a widespread phenomenon. In recent years, the "dumb phone" movement has gained traction, with individuals eschewing smartphones for devices that limit access to the internet and apps. Others have resorted to "bricking" their phones, selectively blocking social media apps. Personally, I mute notifications, banish my phone to another room, and set a timer for at least an hour to resist the siren call of my battered iPhone 12 mini.
The Decline of Attention Spans
Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Attention Span, has spent nearly two decades tracking and studying our ability to focus. She attributes the decline of our attention spans to the constant onslaught of mobile phones, social media, short - form video, and powerful algorithms like those on TikTok. "Every time you go onto the screen, it’s a gateway to an entire world," Mark observes. "We're used to scrolling."
The Role of Self - Discipline in Focus
While Mark acknowledges the efficacy of methods like the Pomodoro technique and apps like Focus Friend, she posits that it would be more beneficial for individuals to exercise their free will and agency in controlling their attention spans. "Whether you use the Pomodoro method, or whether you use software blocking tools, you're offloading it onto a device," she notes. "The device is doing the work." She suggests that while these apps can be helpful, especially for those struggling with focus, they should be used as a means to wean oneself off dependence, rather than a long - term crutch.
A Personal Struggle with Focus
Despite my fondness for the cartoonish charm of Focus Friend and the soothing knitting tune, I find myself frequently interrupting Poe's progress. Robo texts, Uber Eats promotions, and gossip from friends about strangers all vie for my attention. So far, I've only managed to focus long enough to help Poe acquire a small plant and some dirty laundry. I aspire to gift it a nice window in the near future.
