FocusTap

FocusTap is a simple macOS utility based on a powerful mindfulness technique: counting how many times you catch your mind wandering and consciously bring it back to your task.

Screenshots

Quick overlay showing your focus returns

Main dashboard window with counter and reset functionality

Purpose

Think of it like meditation - when meditating, the goal isn't to never have thoughts, but to notice when you're distracted and gently return to focus. The same principle applies to work and study:

1. You're working on a task
2. Your mind wanders (checking social media, random thoughts, etc.)
3. You catch yourself being distracted
4. You press the hotkey to count this moment of awareness
5. You return to your task

This simple act of counting these "returns to focus" helps you:

• Build self-awareness of your distraction patterns
• Turn distractions into opportunities for mindfulness
• Develop stronger concentration over time
• Make focus improvement measurable and tangible

How It Works

1. When you notice you've been distracted and want to return to focus:

   • Press ⇧⌃⌥⌘Z (Shift + Control + Option + Command + Z)
   • A small overlay appears showing your focus return count
   • The counter in the dashboard updates

2. The dashboard shows your current count and lets you:

   • View your total focus returns
   • Reset the counter when needed

Inspiration

This app was inspired by this video, where the creator uses a physical tally counter to track focus returns. While physical counters are great, mine would enter sleep mode after 30 seconds, requiring a check before each press—adding friction to the process. FocusTap eliminates this friction by providing an always-ready software solution.

Installation

Option 1: Manual Build (Current Method)

1. Clone this repository
2. Open the project in Xcode
3. Build the project (Product > Archive)
4. When selecting the app location after build:
   • The /Library folder might be hidden in Finder
   • Press Command (⌘) + Shift + . to show hidden folders
5. Move FocusTap.app to your Applications folder

Required Permissions

FocusTap needs two permissions to function:

1. Input Monitoring

   • Required to detect the keyboard shortcut
   • Prompted on first launch
   • Can be enabled in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring
   • Important: Click the + button in settings and select FocusTap.app

2. Accessibility

   • Required for keyboard shortcut monitoring
   • Prompted on first launch
   • Can be enabled in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
   • Important: Click the + button in settings and select FocusTap.app

If permissions aren't automatically prompted:

1. Open System Settings
2. Navigate to Privacy & Security
3. Enable FocusTap in both Input Monitoring and Accessibility sections

Usage

1. Launch FocusTap
2. Grant required permissions when prompted
3. The main dashboard window will appear
4. Press ⇧⌃⌥⌘Z whenever you catch yourself being distracted and want to return to focus
5. Use the dashboard to track your count and reset when needed

Optional: Simplified Keyboard Shortcut

You can use Karabiner-Elements to rebind the Fn key to trigger the FocusTap shortcut, making it easier to use. Here's the configuration:

{
  "description": "FocusTap",
  "manipulators": [
    {
      "from": { "key_code": "fn" },
      "to": [
        {
          "key_code": "z",
          "modifiers": [
            "left_shift",
            "left_command",
            "left_control",
            "left_option"
          ]
        }
      ],
      "type": "basic"
    }
  ]
}

Development

Built with:

• SwiftUI
• AppKit
• macOS Event Handling APIs
• Cursor