I was recently asked to rank my smartphone addiction on a scale of 1 to 10 -- 1 meaning "It's not a problem" and 10 meaning "It's a big problem." After considering for a second, I said 8.
Despite my effort to keep my phone face down as much as possible, I still pick it up and check my notifications when I know there's nothing waiting for me. I still doomscroll.
But now, at last, I might have found a way to break the spell of my 6-inch screen. Enter Focus Friend.
The app calls itself a "gamified focus timer," and on the surface, it's a simple concept. My focus friend is a smiling cartoon pinto bean who loves to knit socks and scarves. Those knitted goods can be traded for items to decorate the bean's room.
The problem is that my bean friend has trouble concentrating on their knitting, and they can only focus when I'm not using my phone. If I want to decorate my bean's room (which starts out without even a window), I have to set up a focus timer.
Essentially, I'm letting the bean hijack my phone.
Tapping the "Focus!" button in the app lets me set a timer between 5 and 120 minutes. After I hit "Start," I'll see a fun animation of the bean with their back turned, busily crafting something with their knitting needles.
If I hit the "Stop Focusing" button before the timer runs out, the bean will give up and whatever they were knitting will disappear. My bean will also look incredibly disappointed.
In between focus/knitting sessions, I can use the socks and scarves I've collected to purchase furniture, plants and wall decorations to add to my bean's room. The first item I added was a window. Eventually I want to put up "Lo-fi green" string lights (they cost 300 socks, so it'll take me quite a few focus sessions).
Focus Friend is the brainchild of internet creator Hank Green. As a fairly regular viewer of his videos, I learned about the app shortly after its release. Green has launched a number of great ideas over the years, such as the educational YouTube channel Crash Course and a socks subscription to raise money for charity. Still, I was surprised to learn that Focus Friend became the No. 1 free iOS app in America last week.
So far, I've really enjoyed using Focus Friend. I typically set 15-minute focus sessions, which nets me about one sock per minute. I've found myself concentrating better on my writing when I can't compulsively pick up my phone and start opening Instagram or TikTok.
Focus Friend isn't a foolproof solution. Even though it looks like my busy bean has taken over my phone, I can actually still exit the app. I could be doing something else on my phone, and my bean will continue knitting as if I'm actually focusing. (Shh, don't tell the bean I found that out.)
That said, there's something powerful about unlocking my phone and seeing the bean hard at work under the words, "Don't interrupt me!" It makes me want to work harder myself. I don't want to disappoint my bean!
The app is free, though anyone can pay $3 to $6 to unlock bean skins. Choices include colorful jelly beans, cat-shaped "Kitt-ney" beans and a bean-ified version of the app's creator, Hank Bean (as well as John Bean, based on Green's co-creator and real-life brother John).
Is Focus Friend the solution to doomscrolling? It only works if I make the effort to start a focus session, and I don't always have that willpower. What if I'm expecting a notification? What if I enjoy swiping mindlessly from one app to another?
Then again, I really want to give my bean those "Lo-fi green" string lights.
Focus Friend is available on iOS and Android.