There are a lot of productivity apps out there, and FocusedOS attempts to combine a few of them. The app, available on all Apple devices, blocks distracting apps and websites, dims the entire screen except for the window you're currently viewing, and plays ambient sounds. The idea is that you can turn all of these features on with the push of a button, work on them, and then turn them all off again when you're done.
First, just download the app and decide which features you want to enable. The first tab, "Behaviors," lets you dim all windows except the currently active one - this is similar to the app HazeOver ($4.99). You can also limit the number of apps shown on the screen and add some custom text to the menu bar. Finally, there's a feature to hide icons on the menu bar, similar to the app Bartender ($22). You can also hide wallpapers or even disable wifi completely. Note that these features are not available on the iPhone or iPad versions of the app (mainly because they don't make sense there).
On the Ambience tab, you can choose between a variety of background sounds, meaning you don't need a dedicated background sounds app.
There are also tools to block distracting apps and websites. You can choose which apps to block or only allow specific apps to open. Websites are a little simpler: you can add pre-built categories or add the URLs yourself.
Finally, if that's not enough, you can trigger any Apple shortcut when focus mode is turned on or off. You can use it to turn off notifications, start a timer, or anything else you can imagine.
The free version only allows you to create an "environment", which means you can configure everything the way you like, and that's how the application works. The paid version costs $20 per year and allows you to create multiple environments, meaning you can configure them differently for different tasks. The paid version also lets you sync your current environment between your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, unlocks more ambient sounds, and lets you run shortcuts when you launch an environment.
I don’t think this combination of tools is for everyone. However, if you're constantly switching between a bunch of focus-enhancing tools every time you need to focus, FocusedOS might be just what you need. Try the free version to find out.
