Flow - Focus & Pomodoro Timer for Mac

Version 4.9.2 brings the app fully onto macOS 15, keeping its quiet, visual approach to timed work sessions intact. No new features, no interface rework — just the assurance that the blocking, the break screen and the keyboard shortcuts all behave as they should on Apple's latest system.

Blocked targets: apps and websites stay locked until the timer ends

The app can restrict both websites and applications during a focus interval. You define a list of distractions in advance: social platforms, news sites, messaging tools. When a session starts, those targets become inaccessible. The block lifts the moment the timer ends or when you take a deliberate break. It is a soft enforcement, not a parental lock — useful for anyone who knows their own habits and wants a gentle barrier, not a cage.

How does the break work?

Between work sections, Flow switches to a fullscreen rest mode. The screen clears to a single, calm surface — no notifications, no badges, no clock ticking in the corner. The absence of an icon badge in the menu bar is deliberate: the developer wanted the app to stay out of sight when it is not needed. Hotkeys let you start, pause or skip a session without leaving your current window, which matters when you are deep in a paragraph or a layout and do not wish to break visual contact with your work.

A right-click on the timer reveals a small menu of actions most people only discover by accident. Pausing, skipping to the break, or resetting the current interval do not require opening the main window at all. If you set your hotkeys carefully, the timer can become almost invisible in daily use; I keep ⌥⌘S for start and pause, and leave the app hidden in the menu bar for hours.

Settings worth checking once

Before the first real session, open the preferences and look at three things. First, the desktop notification style — the default is unobtrusive, but you may prefer a more persistent banner if you tend to miss the end of a break. Second, the dark mode toggle; it follows the system by default, yet forcing it can give the break screen a more consistent look on a bright afternoon. Third, the language list is unusually long, so the app can match the system's idiom even when the rest of your Mac is set to English.

Common mistakes in the first week

• Blocking too much at once. A list of forty sites feels decisive, but it turns every session into a series of false starts. Begin with three or four genuine distractions.
• Ignoring the break intervals. Skipping every break to keep momentum is tempting, yet the fullscreen rest exists for a reason. A five-minute pause after four sessions is not lost time.
• Forgetting the right-click menu. Most users open the main window for every action, which breaks concentration more than the timer itself.

One workflow that suits the tool well: a translation or editorial task. Start a 45-minute session with only the reference site and the dictionary unblocked. Write or edit without switching apps. When the break screen appears, stand up, look away from the display, and let the fullscreen mode do its work. After three rounds, open the session overview to see how many intervals actually reached completion — the log is brief, but honest.

• macOS 15 or later
• Apple Silicon or Intel 64-bit