Task Focus Mode

Focus Mode is PrimeTask's built-in Pomodoro timer. Pick a task, start a session, and PrimeTask fills your screen with a countdown timer - no distractions, just the task at hand. While focused, you can view and edit the task's checklist in a side panel, write notes in a full rich text editor, and take timed breaks with reminders. When the session ends (or you complete the task early), PrimeTask saves the session with its duration, break time, and status.

Focus sessions are separate from the task timer (see Task Time Tracking), but both contribute to the project's total time when a task belongs to a project. Focus Mode tracks actual focus time - break time is excluded from the count.

What you can do

How to start a focus session

From the Task Details Page

Right-click any task

In any view - list, board, calendar, Gantt - right-click a task and choose Start Focus Session from the context menu. Focus Mode launches immediately with the task's configured duration.

From dashboard widgets

The Today's Focus widget on the dashboard shows tasks scheduled for today. Each task has a Focus Now button that starts a session directly from the dashboard.

From the calendar

Right-click a task on the calendar and choose Start Focus Session. Calendar-launched sessions follow the "Today + Overdue" rule - you can start focus on tasks scheduled for today or overdue, not on future-scheduled tasks. See Focus Mode from Calendar and Calendar Right-Click Menu.

Via AI agents (MCP)

The PrimeTask MCP server exposes focus tools that AI agents can call:

• Start Focus - start a session for a specific task with an optional custom duration
• Stop Focus - end the active session
• Take Break - toggle break on/off, with an optional reminder duration
• Get Focus Status - check if a session is running and how much time has elapsed

See External Integrations Settings.

Using Focus Mode

The timer

The centre of the screen shows a countdown timer with a progress ring that fills as time passes. The timer displays remaining time in HH:MM:SS format. When you go past the planned duration, the timer counts up in overtime so you can see how long you've been going.

Taking a break

Click Take a Break during a session. PrimeTask asks how long you'd like to be reminded - choose from 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes, or skip the reminder entirely. The timer pauses and shows a break view. When the reminder time is up, PrimeTask alerts you. Click Resume Focus to return to the countdown.

Break time is tracked separately and does not count against your focus duration. A 25-minute session with a 5-minute break records 25 minutes of focus time, not 30.

Checklist panel

Toggle the left panel to see the task's checklist. You can check off items, add new ones, and track progress - all without leaving Focus Mode. The panel shows how many items are completed out of the total. This is the same checklist from the task's Subtasks & Checklists section.

Notes panel

Toggle the right panel to open a full rich text editor with the task's description. You can write, edit, and format notes while focused - headings, lists, code blocks, and more. Changes save back to the task automatically. This is the same editor from Task Notes.

Completing the task

Click Complete Task to mark the task as done directly from Focus Mode. PrimeTask ends the session, saves it as completed, and plays a celebration animation (if enabled). You don't need to stop the session first - completing the task does both.

Pop-out window

Click the pop-out button to move the focus session into its own separate window. The focus timer continues in the new window while you can use the main PrimeTask window for other work - checking your board, reviewing other tasks, or browsing projects. The session stays in sync between windows.

Sound settings

Focus Mode has three sound options, each independently toggleable:

• Tick sound - a subtle clock tick on each second, with adjustable volume
• Celebration - a sound effect when you complete a task during focus
• Break reminder - an alert when your chosen break duration is up

Hover over the sound control in the top corner to configure these settings. Your preferences are saved and apply to all future sessions.

Viewing focus statistics

On the task detail page

The Focus Sessions section on the Task Details Page shows the task's focus history:

• Total focus time across all sessions
• Number of sessions completed
• Completion rate - what percentage of sessions were completed vs abandoned
• Recent sessions with timestamps and durations

Click View Details to open the full statistics modal scoped to that task.

Focus Stats modal

The statistics modal shows a comprehensive breakdown:

• Focus Time - total across all sessions in the selected time range
• Completion Rate - percentage of completed sessions
• Average Session - mean session duration
• Break Time - total break time and session count
• Weekly chart - a bar chart showing focus time for each of the last 7 days
• Top Tasks - the tasks you've focused on most, ranked by total time
• Session History - a list of every session with its status (completed or abandoned), duration, and timestamp

Filter by time range: today, this week, this month, or all time.

Dashboard widgets

Two dashboard widgets give you focus visibility without opening a task:

• Today's Focus - shows tasks scheduled for today with quick-start buttons
• Focus Stats - shows this week's focus time, session count, completion rate, daily streak, and a mini chart of the last 7 days. Click View Details to open the full statistics modal.

Things worth knowing

Session duration

The default session is 25 minutes - the standard Pomodoro interval. You can change this per-task using the duration picker on the Focus Sessions section of the task detail page. Available presets include 5, 10, 15, 25, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes, plus custom input.

The duration is saved on the task, so it persists across sessions and syncs with your devices.

Session persistence

If you close PrimeTask during an active focus session, the session is saved. When you reopen the app, the session resumes from where it left off. Focus Mode tracks the exact focus time (excluding any time the app was closed or in a break), so your session duration is accurate even across restarts.

Focus time vs timer time

Focus sessions and the task timer (see Task Time Tracking) are tracked separately:

• Task timer - a start/stop clock you run manually, recording raw elapsed time
• Focus sessions - Pomodoro-style sessions with planned durations, break tracking, and completion status

Both contribute to the project's total time (see Projects Overview). At the project level, timer entries and focus sessions are combined into a single time summary. On the task itself, they're displayed in separate sections.

One session at a time

Only one focus session can run across the entire app at a time. If a session is already active, the Start button is disabled on other tasks and shows "Session In Progress".

Completing vs abandoning

When you exit Focus Mode without completing the task, PrimeTask saves the session as abandoned. The actual focus time is still recorded - abandoned sessions count toward your total focus time and appear in your session history. The distinction matters for your completion rate statistic.

Common questions

Where to go next