Focus. We must focus or we get distracted.

When we get distracted, nothing gets done. Well, at least, we impair our ability to deliver.

In the ‘old’ days, it would be a case of shutting the door, turning off the television and muting our phones to stop the constant ding ding of notifications.

Apple introduced us to Focus modes, where we could set times, and apps for notifications, and they work pretty well.

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Now, with thanks to Apple’s Focus Filters, we can go one step further.

Focus Filters enable users to customise how certain apps behave during a specific Focus mode. For example, when you activate a Work Focus, you can choose to only see your work calendar events, hide messages from non-work contacts, or display only specific Safari tab groups.

This takes control of apps and devices to a more granular level.

Let’s take a look…

First of all go into the Settings and select Focus, then the Focus mode you want to update.

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Here you can see I already have two filters set up.

The Calendars filter means it will only display select calendars when this Focus is selected.
This is very similar to the Calendar sets available in Fantastical; you only see the calendars you want.

The Mail inbox filter works in a similar way. For example, I won’t see work email notifications when in Personal mode and, conversely, I won’t see personal email notifications during Work mode. If you use the Badge count, then it will only show those related to the Focus mode.

Other App Filters include:

- Messages: See only the messages you want; e.g. just see the conversations with people you’ve allowed notifications during the Focus
- 1Password: If you the 1Password app installed, and have multiple accounts or collections, then you can decide which to show during the Focus
- Safari: Set a Profile or Tab Group to be used during this Focus

Of course, there will be other App Filters for apps that I don’t have, so it’s best to check what app filters you can set on your own device.

As well as App Filters, there are also some System based filters:

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- Always On Display: Select to use this either on or off during the focus
- Dark Mode: Set the appearance for the Focus mode
- Low Power Mode: Set to turn on during this Focus
- Silent Mode: Turn Silent Mode on or off while in this Focus.

You can also set up Focus Filters on the Mac, which of course has different apps and not all of them can be set.

I only discovered Focus Filters recently, and it’s been a game-changer in terms of managing my time. Only seeing notifications of work emails during work hours helps me to switch off.

It doesn’t mean I can’t see them; but they’re not presented to me.

Likewise, in Work mode, I won’t be distracted by personal emails.

Overall, I’ve found this to be an effective way to control what I see and how I can interact.

Are Focus Filters something that you would find useful?