Focus Session Manager

Protect your health. Maximize focus. Prevent burnout.

Core Principle

ADHD brains are prone to hyperfocus (ignoring breaks, health) and time blindness (losing track of time). The solution: Automated session management that tracks time, enforces breaks, and protects health without disrupting flow state.

Key Insight: You can't manage time you can't see. Make time visible and automatic.

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The Focus Problem

Problem 1: Hyperfocus Burnout

Issue: Code for 4 hours straight without break Result: Exhaustion, health issues, reduced quality

Problem 2: Time Blindness

Issue: "I'll work for 30 min" → Actually 3 hours Result: Missed meetings, forgotten commitments, burnout

Problem 3: Break Resistance

Issue: "Just one more thing" never stops Result: No breaks, deteriorating health, reduced productivity

Problem 4: Disrupted Flow

Issue: Harsh timer interruptions break concentration Result: Frustration, ignoring timers, no break system

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Phase 1: Automatic Session Tracking

Always-On Time Tracking

Starts automatically when you begin coding:

[Session Started: 14:00]

⏱️ Focus Timer Running
📊 Today's focus time: 0 hours
🎯 Goal: 4 hours
🔥 Current streak: 2 days

Mode: Deep Work
Next break: 14:25 (in 25 min)

Visible Time Display

Status bar shows:

⏱️ 23:45 | 🧠 Focus Session 1/4 | 💧 Water reminder soon

Session Types (Auto-Detected)

Deep Work: Complex coding, architecture

• Duration: 45-90 minutes
• Break: 15 minutes
• Best for: New features, debugging

Quick Tasks: Bug fixes, updates

• Duration: 25 minutes
• Break: 5 minutes
• Best for: Small fixes, reviews

Learning: Reading docs, tutorials

• Duration: 30 minutes
• Break: 10 minutes
• Best for: New tech, research

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Phase 2: ADHD-Optimized Pomodoro

Traditional Pomodoro (ADHD-Hostile)

❌ Rigid 25-min timer (might be mid-thought) ❌ Harsh interruption (breaks flow) ❌ Forced break (when you're in flow) ❌ No hyperfocus protection (ignores long sessions)

ADHD-Friendly Pomodoro

✅ Flexible timers (25/45/90 min options) ✅ Gentle reminders (dismissable but persistent) ✅ Flow-aware breaks (suggests good stopping points) ✅ Hyperfocus detection (escalating alerts)

Smart Break Timing

[25 minutes elapsed]

🟡 Break suggestion available

Good stopping point detected:
- ✅ Just committed code
- ✅ Tests passing
- ✅ Natural pause point

Take 5-minute break?
[Take Break Now] [Extend 15 min] [Remind in 5 min]

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Phase 3: Break Management

Break Types

Micro-Break (2 minutes):

• Look away from screen (20-20-20 rule)
• Stretch in chair
• No leaving desk

Short Break (5 minutes):

• Stand up
• Walk around
• Get water
• Bathroom

Medium Break (15 minutes):

• Walk outside
• Snack
• Different room
• Social interaction

Long Break (30-60 minutes):

• Meal
• Exercise
• Complete context switch

Automatic Break Reminders

[After 25 min coding]

⏸️ Break Suggestion (5 minutes)

Your brain has been focused for 25 min.
Short break will improve next session.

Break activities:
- [ ] Stand and stretch
- [ ] Get water
- [ ] Look out window (eyes)
- [ ] Bathroom if needed

Timer: 5 minutes
Resume automatically after break.

[Start Break] [Extend Session] [Dismiss]

Break Enforcement Levels

Level 1: Gentle Reminder (25-45 min)

💭 Reminder: Break time soon
[Dismissable, comes back in 10 min]

Level 2: Strong Suggestion (45-90 min)

⚠️ You've been coding for 60 minutes
Break highly recommended
[Dismissable twice, then escalates]

Level 3: Health Alert (90+ min)

🚨 HEALTH ALERT: 90 min no break

This is affecting:
- Eye strain
- Back pain
- Mental fatigue
- Code quality

Required actions:
- [ ] Stand up NOW
- [ ] 2-minute walk
- [ ] Water

[Cannot dismiss until you move]

Level 4: Forced Break (3+ hours)

🛑 MANDATORY BREAK

You've been coding for 3 hours straight.
Context saved automatically.
Dev server paused.

Required 15-minute break.
I'll help you resume after.

[Break Started - Timer: 15:00]

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Phase 4: Hyperfocus Protection

Hyperfocus Detection

Triggers at 90 minutes continuous work:

[90 minutes elapsed]

🔍 HYPERFOCUS DETECTED

You've been deeply focused for 90 minutes.
This is good for productivity BUT...

Health check required:
- [ ] When did you last drink water? ____
- [ ] When did you last move? ____
- [ ] Are your eyes strained? Y/N
- [ ] Do you need bathroom? Y/N

If 2+ concerns: TAKE BREAK NOW
If 0-1 concerns: Can extend 30 min

[Take Break] [Extend 30min] [Health Check]

The Hyperfocus Paradox

Good Hyperfocus: Deep work on right thing Bad Hyperfocus: Stuck optimizing CSS for 4 hours

Detecting Bad Hyperfocus

[2 hours on same file, many reverts]

💭 Gentle check-in:

I notice you've been working on button.css
for 2 hours with 12 commits and 5 reverts.

Questions:
- Is this P0 for shipping? YES/NO
- Could this be "good enough" now? YES/NO
- Are you stuck in perfectionism? YES/NO

Maybe time to:
- Commit current state
- Move to next task
- Come back later with fresh eyes

[Keep Going] [Take Break] [Switch Tasks]

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Phase 5: Session Planning

Daily Session Plan (Auto-Generated)

# Today's Focus Sessions

Total available: 6 hours
Sessions planned: 4

Morning (9am - 12pm):
- Session 1: Build dashboard UI (45 min) 🔨
  Break: 10 min
- Session 2: Connect to API (45 min) 🔨
  Break: 10 min
- Session 3: Handle errors (30 min) ⚡
  Break: Lunch (60 min)

Afternoon (1pm - 5pm):
- Session 4: Write tests (45 min) 🧪
  Break: 10 min
- Session 5: Code review (30 min) 👀
  Break: 10 min
- Session 6: Deploy (20 min) 🚀
  Break: End of day

Total focus time: 4.5 hours
Buffer time: 1.5 hours (interruptions)

Realistic and achievable! 💪

Energy-Aware Scheduling

Morning Energy: High ⚡⚡⚡
- Schedule: Complex tasks (new features)
- Session length: 45-90 min
- Break length: 10 min

Afternoon Energy: Medium ⚡⚡
- Schedule: Medium tasks (bug fixes)
- Session length: 30-45 min
- Break length: 15 min

Evening Energy: Low ⚡
- Schedule: Easy tasks (docs, reviews)
- Session length: 25 min
- Break length: 5-10 min

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Phase 6: Context-Aware Breaks

Before-Break Ritual (Automatic)

[Break starting in 1 minute]

Quick save (30 seconds):
✅ Auto-committing code
✅ Saving mental state
✅ Noting next step

You were: Adding email validation
Next: Test validation logic (10 min)

Break ready! Take 5 minutes.
Resume will be easy.

After-Break Ritual (Automatic)

[Break ended]

Welcome back! (Rested: 5 minutes)

Quick recap:
📍 File: src/components/form.tsx:42
💭 You were: Adding email validation
🎯 Next: Test validation logic (10 min)
⏱️ Session: 25 minutes

[Resume button opens file at exact line]

Estimated resume time: 30 seconds

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Phase 7: Health Monitoring

The 20-20-20 Rule (Auto-Enforced)

Every 20 minutes: Look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds

[20 minutes screen time]

👁️ Eye Break (20 seconds)

Look at something 20 feet away.
Clock will count down.

20... 19... 18... 17...

[Countdown with calming animation]

✅ Done! Eyes protected.

Hydration Reminders

[60 minutes since last water reminder]

💧 Hydration Check

When did you last drink water?
- Just now: Reset timer
- 30 min ago: Doing okay
- 1+ hour ago: Go drink NOW

ADHD brains often forget water.
Dehydration affects focus.

[I drank water] [Remind in 30min]

Movement Tracking

[90 minutes sitting]

🚶 Movement Required

You've been sitting for 90 minutes.
This affects:
- Blood flow
- Energy levels
- Back health
- Focus quality

Minimum: Stand for 2 minutes
Better: Walk for 5 minutes
Best: Go outside

[I moved] [Remind in 15min]

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Phase 8: Transition Rituals

Starting Work Ritual

[Morning start]

☀️ Good morning! Let's start work.

Quick setup (2 minutes):
1. Review today's plan ✅
2. Set focus goal: 4 hours
3. Pick first task ✅
4. Start focus timer ✅

First session: Dashboard UI (45 min)
Next break: 9:45am

Let's do this! 💪

[Start Session]

Ending Work Ritual

[5pm - End of day]

🌙 Wrapping up for the day?

Today's stats:
- Focus time: 4.5 hours ✅
- Sessions completed: 6
- Breaks taken: 5
- Tasks completed: 7

Tomorrow setup:
- First task: Test password reset (30 min)
- Should be quick! Easy start.

Wins today:
✅ Built entire dashboard UI
✅ Connected to API
✅ Fixed 2 bugs

You crushed it today! 🎉

[End Day] [Keep Working]

Task Switch Ritual

[Switching from Task A to Task B]

🔄 Task Switch

Saving Task A context...
✅ Committed work
✅ Saved mental state

Loading Task B...
✅ Opened files
✅ Loaded context
✅ Showing next step

Switch time: 2 minutes

Ready for Task B!

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Phase 9: Distraction Management

Focus Mode Levels

Level 1: Normal (Default)

• Notifications: On
• Chat: Available
• Interruptions: Allowed

Level 2: Focus Mode

• Notifications: Snoozed
• Chat: Away status
• Interruptions: Emergency only

Level 3: Deep Work Mode

• Notifications: Off
• Chat: Do not disturb
• Interruptions: None
• Music: Focus playlist auto-starts

Auto-Enable Focus Mode

[Deep work session starting]

Enabling Focus Mode:
✅ Notifications snoozed
✅ Chat status: Away
✅ Email closed
✅ Focus music started

Distractions minimized.
You have 45 minutes of protected time.

[Session starting...]

Distraction Recovery

[You opened Twitter mid-session]

💭 Distraction detected!

You were focused on: Building dashboard
Time lost: 5 minutes
Session time remaining: 15 minutes

Quick reset:
- [ ] Close Twitter
- [ ] Take 2-minute break
- [ ] Resume with fresh focus

Or:
- [ ] Take full break now (5 min)
- [ ] Resume with new session

No judgment! ADHD brains wander.
Let's just get back on track. 💪

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Phase 10: Session Analytics

Daily Stats (Auto-Generated)

# Today's Focus Summary

⏱️ Total Focus Time: 4.5 hours
🎯 Goal: 4 hours (exceeded! 🎉)
📊 Sessions: 6 completed
⏸️ Breaks: 5 taken
🔥 Longest session: 90 min
💧 Water reminders: 6 (all completed)
👁️ Eye breaks: 12 (all completed)

Top productive hours:
9am-11am: 2 hours deep work ⚡
2pm-4pm: 1.5 hours ⚡

Distraction time: 30 min (acceptable)

Health score: 9/10 (excellent!)
- Took all breaks ✅
- Drank water ✅
- Eye breaks ✅
- Moved regularly ✅

Tomorrow's recommendation:
Same pattern works well for you!

Weekly Trends

# This Week's Focus Patterns

Mon: 4.5 hours (great!)
Tue: 3 hours (interrupted day)
Wed: 5 hours (best day! 🔥)
Thu: 4 hours (solid)
Fri: 2 hours (expected lower)

Weekly average: 3.7 hours/day
Trend: +15% vs last week 📈

Best times for deep work:
- 9-11am (morning energy)
- 2-4pm (post-lunch focus)

Avoid scheduling deep work:
- 11am-1pm (pre-lunch slump)
- 4-5pm (end of day fatigue)

Keep the momentum! 💪

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Automation

Auto-Start (Session Detection)

[You opened VS Code at 9:00am]

Good morning! Starting focus session...

✅ Timer started
✅ First task loaded
✅ Break scheduled (9:45am)
✅ Focus mode enabled

Session: Build dashboard UI
Duration: 45 minutes

Let's code! 🚀

Auto-Pause (Inactivity Detection)

[No code changes for 10 min]

Session paused automatically.

Are you:
- Taking a break? (Timer paused)
- In a meeting? (Session saved)
- Distracted? (Gentle reminder)
- Done for now? (End session)

[Resume] [Take Break] [End Session]

Auto-End (5pm Default)

[5:00pm]

End of work day!

Auto-wrapping up:
✅ Session saved
✅ Context preserved
✅ Stats logged
✅ Tomorrow prepared

See you tomorrow! 🌙

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Success Metrics

You're using this well when:

• ✅ Taking regular breaks (not skipping)
• ✅ Hyperfocus sessions < 90 min
• ✅ Health checks completed (water, eyes, movement)
• ✅ Focus time increasing (sustainable pace)
• ✅ End-of-day energy higher (not exhausted)

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Related Skills

• context-preserver - Auto-saves state before/after breaks
• task-breakdown-specialist - Plans work for sessions
• completion-coach - Helps finish sessions strong

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Focus hard. Break often. Protect your health. ⏱️