Session Pomodoro Focus Timer

It didn't notify me at 25 minutes. When it finally notified me, it wouldn't stop that DAMN TICKING SOUND! (I figured out how to stop it while in-session, but WHY does it need to keep doing that "on break?") I just wanted a simple 25/5 timer. This one ain't it. At least, not the "simple" part.

As someone with diagnosed ADHD, I struggle mightily to stay on task. No tool is perfect, but Session has done more for me than any other app I have ever tried.

It's been a constant battle against procrastination! I've liked the pomo technique for a while, but it is always something that has fallen by the way side after not too long. With Session it is different. I have built this into my daily routine. Love the initial breathing exercise to ground me. Even the ticking clock sound is something that keeps me motivated (time is moving on, I need to crack on!). It is more than a pomo timer and has drastically improved my focus. Highly recommended.

I love this app, it’s great to help me focus. I paid for subscription so that I don’t see notifications while I’m in a focus session. But it doesn’t work and I keep getting notifications.

Sessions is surprisingly good. Flow is a fine timer but it does not let you identify categories. I need to know time spent in different areas. I also want my tasks linked to my Calendar. Reports and stats are fine and dandy, but I see my Calendar all the time. And it makes a huge difference to see events accumulating in there through the day. And Session is the only timer I could find that syncs with the calendar AND leaves me a record inside it. Furthermore, Sessions is brilliant for two-way linking with Calendar. I can even add tasks that I completed but forgot to run with a timer! (This happens a lot.) Syncing with phone and iPad are FAST and excellent. Areas to improve: — The English in the UI needs improvement; sometimes it can be misleading or imprecise — Personally I don’t need to hear nature sounds (kinda hokey) but I would like other choices and for this a list of the built-in OS sounds would be adequate (like Flow and other timers do). — I usually listen to music anyway, so I simply turn Session sound audio down to zero volume. -- Documentation is utterly LACKING; you are forced to go to their Discord server and hunt around for answers. -- Profiles is a powerful feature that is also pretty confusing and there is virtually nothing to guide you. (Profiles allows you speficy rules for how Session should function based on the Category of session you are running. Super useful!) ----------- Update: Taking this down one star for the poor documentation, some of which borders on gibberish. Just figured out that if syncing between devices fails, you log out on each and log in again. Simple. Yet the Support site fails to mention this. Instead a lot of excuses and guesses. Yes it is a fine app and could be great but it needs more time. Maybe a year from now I can give it five stars again?

Why should I be required to select an issue that I have with focus while none of them fits? Shouldn’t there be a skip or other option???

I really wanted to love this app. I paid for the pro version. The integration with the calender is great. But after using it for 2-3 weeks, it’s just too tedious to deal with the workflow implementation this app’s pomodoro. When a pomodoro is about to end, there is an odd sound. I have to tap to end a pomodoro, tap again to submit pomodoro info. Tap again to end a break, tap again to select if I want to complete or abandon a pomodoro. Bottom line, I have to tap & click 3-5 times per pomodoro and there are no settings in the app to simplify this process. A pomodoro really needs to be a very simple thing, not a complex workflow. It’s great to have addon-functionality to add feedback & all of that if you want to go deeper; but core functonality of a pomodoro needs to be simple, or a at least there must be a configuration to keep it to a simple “25 minute timer & it ends”.

i love this :)

I've used similar apps before, but this on has a lot of touches I like.

TLDR: Take a well thought-out customizable Pomodoro timer, combine it with 2-way calendar sync and powerful automation capabilities, and you have Session. Just know that although the automation is “powerful”, getting anything more than simple automations set up may not be something that most users are capable of or will want to invest the time into. I first tried Session when I was testing out pomodoro timers. I successfully used it for a few months, enjoying the elevated pomodoro experience that allowed me to follow scheduled time blocks and also log the actual time and tasks that were worked on and reflect on the day’s work. I also got into using some of the more simple automation capabilities like turning off the lights in my office at lunch time so I wouldn’t work through my lunch. Eventually I switched back to working in an office so couldn’t take advantage of the home automation anymore. That, and with the difficulty of managing multiple systems (calendar, work project management, work time tracking, and Session), I decided to stop using Session. Well, it’s about a year and half later and I’ve found myself back testing out Session again. I’ve been trying to add a lot more structure to my day, and could really benefit from adding back a calendar-integrated pomodoro system. I followed up on it to see where development had gone and the example uses on the website sold me on giving Session another shot. Two of the specific example uses shown on the website that got me excited were: that Session can now set the Session duration based on the length of the calendar event, and that it is possible to have Session start and stop other time trackers too (like the one I use for work). I envisioned using Session for my morning routine, wind down routine, work tasks focus, making sure to take breaks and so on. (ADHD? You guessed it!) Here are some of the ways I had hoped to use Session: - Get a notification from my calendar for a scheduled event (as I already do now) - Hop into Session to see my event there and the event in Session, with the start and end time all set up - Prompt and reliable 2-way calendar sync. If I move a focus time-block or a meeting in my calendar, then it updates in Session - Pomodoro Timer - Use my iPhone or iPad as a dedicated Pomodoro timer to visually display time getting smaller and remind me to stay on the focus task - Remind me when time is almost up to so I can start to wrap it up - Remind me when the time is up - Keep record