Focus Time



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  • Free
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  • Teams
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In this article:

Focus Time

Clockwise helps you visualize how much time you have for focused work by automatically creating Focus Time events on your calendar. These dynamic calendar events are updated in real-time as your calendar changes, so you can always have an up-to-date view of your Focus Time. Syncing Focus Time means that your coworkers will see when you are in blocks of Focus Time. 


Note: Focus Time is typically defined as 2+ hour blocks of uninterupted work as this is statistically the most helpful way to feel productive. If your schedule is exceptionally busy and you have fewer than 10 hours of reserved Focus Time in your week though, Clockwise will create 1-hour blocks of Focus Time on your calendar when it is unable to find 2-hour blocks.

Enable Focus Time 

Configure your Focus Time settings to display your Focus Time events on your primary work calendar

  1. Navigate to your Focus Time settings, found in Your Ideal Day.
  2. Toggle the feature on by selecting Yes.

  1. Choose the best time of day for your Focus Time.
  2. Set a goal by choosing a target number of hours.
  3. If you prefer meetings in the afternoons, we recommend you set your Focus Time for in the mornings, and set in the afternoons for morning-aimed meetings.

Note: When setting your Focus Time goal, try to pick a number that balances the time spent in meetings, how much Focus Time you need to complete your work, and how much open space you need to remain available for ad-hoc meetings. Once you decide on your target, set it as the amount of Focus Time you want each week

Auto-Protect Focus Time

Keep Focus Time from disappearing from your calendar with guaranteed weekly holds.

  1. Navigate to your Focus Time settings, found in Your Ideal Day.
  2. Toggle Decline incoming meetings... on.
  3. Choose how many minimum hours you'd like Clockwise to hold weekly on your calendar.

Set maximum Focus Time per day

Sometimes, too much unstructured time held on a calendar can be overwhelming. Make sure your Focus Time holds work for you by setting a cumulative maximum Focus Time per day.

  1. Navigate to your Focus Time settings, found in Your Ideal Day
  2. Toggle The most Focus Time I want... on.
  3. Choose what your cumulative maximum Focus Time held per day is.

Customize individual Focus Time holds


Any time you edit a Focus Time hold in your calendar, Clockwise will respect these edits and avoid automatically updating them throughout the week. Customize Focus Time in the following ways:


  • Edit the title to communicate what you're working on
  • Update the duration if Clockwise synced more time than you need
  • Drag and drop the timing to ensure it starts when you're ready to focus
  • Invite your coworkers for pairing or jam sessions 
  • Update the description to keep yourself accountable for what you're going to use the time for

Protect individual Focus Time blocks

To ensure no events are scheduled during a specific block of Focus Time, you can automatically decline new meetings via protected holds.


  1. Select the Clockwise-managed hold (Focus Time, lunch, or meeting relief break) that you wish to protect.
  2. In your Clockwise sidebar, choose Do not move it and also decline incoming meetings.

Deleting Focus Time blocks

To delete Focus Time, double click on the event from the Clockwise Calendar, then click on the Delete hold button from the event details view in the event details panel.

If you delete Focus Time from any other location, the events will be recreated.

How to disable Focus Time

  1. Navigate to Your Ideal Day.
  2. Scroll to Do you need Focus Time to get things done?.
  3. Click the toggle to turn off Focus Time.

It may take a few minutes for the Focus Time events on your calendar to disappear.