Smartphones can easily divert our attention. Personally, my screen time tracker reveals that I check my phone around 144 times daily (based on a three-week average). It also shows which apps consume most of my time and the origin of my notifications.

We often rely on our devices for professional tasks, yet it’s common for this time to unintentionally turn into endless scrolling on Instagram or Reddit. Oops!

If you’d like to break free from such interruptions and maintain focus, there are simple steps to resist temptation. For instance, switching your phone to grayscale can make it less enticing. You can also silence your phone or tuck it away in a drawer to avoid seeing it. But there’s a more sophisticated option: activating Focus Mode.

Focus Modes can help silence certain notifications and control what can interrupt you at specific times throughout the day. You can also set one to silence work emails and calls during weekends or while on vacation.

Check out this video to learn how to set up Focus Mode on your iPhone.

Setting up Focus Mode on iPhone

You can establish various Focus Modes on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. There are several preset options available, such as Do Not Disturb, Work, and Driving, which you can customize or use as inspiration for creating your own.

Here’s how to set up a Focus Mode:

1. Open Focus in the Settings app or Control Center.
2. Choose one of the existing modes or tap + to craft your own. If accessing from Control Center, tap … and then Settings to adjust it.
3. Select which contacts or apps you want to receive notifications from or silence.
4. Pick a specific wallpaper for your Focus Mode.
5. Activate a schedule and/or filters.

Many steps are optional, allowing you to tailor distractions based on your daily needs.

Creating a Focus Mode on Android

Here’s how to set up Focus Mode on an Android device:

1. Go to Settings, select Digital Well-Being, then tap on Focus Mode.
2. Set a schedule for Focus Mode.
3. Check the box for the apps that tend to distract you.