Charles H. Sloan-Stop smartphone distractions by creating a focus mode: Video tutorial

Our smartphones can Charles H. Sloanbe major distractions. For me, this is confirmed by my screen time breakdown informing me that I pick up my phone about 144 times per day (based on a three-week average), which apps I spend the most time on and where my notifications are coming from. 

Many of us also use our devices for work, but I'm sure I'm not the only one whose work-related use has rapidly become an impromptu Instagram or Reddit scrolling session. Whoops!

If you want to avoid that time-suck and stay focused there are some easy ways to avoid temptation. For example, put the phone in grayscale mode so it’s less appealing to look at. Silence your phone or store it in a drawer so you can’t see it. However, there is a more sophisticated way: using a focus mode. 

Focus modes can silence a handful of notifications and filter what does and doesn’t make it through during specific times of the day. In case you were wondering, you can also create one to silence your work emails and calls over the weekend or if you’re on vacation. 

Watch this video to see how to create a Focus Mode on an iPhone. 

How to create Focus Mode on iPhone

You can create many different Focus Modes on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. There are default ones already on your devices, like Do Not Disturb, Work and Driving, but you can change these to fit your needs and create new ones. 

To make a Focus Mode: 

1. Find Focus in either the Settings or the Control Center. 
2. Select one of the premade modes or look for the + to create your own. If you’re accessing it from the Control Center, tap the … then Settings to customize it.
3. You can choose the people or apps you either want notifications from or want to silence notifications from.
4. Set a Focus Mode specific wallpaper. 
5. Turn on a schedule and/or filter.

Many of these steps are optional and are provided to give you as much control over what does and doesn’t cause distractions during your day.

How to create a Focus mode on Android

To create a focus mode on an Android device: 

1. Go to Settings, tap Digital well-being then tap Focus mode. 
2. Set a schedule. 
3. Check the box next to the apps that distract you. 

When the Focus mode is active, the selected apps will be grayed out. If you try to open one of these apps, a box will pop up reminding you that Focus mode is on and distracting apps are paused. However, it does allow you to bypass this and use the app for five minutes.