Appatic

Focus@will is a web app hybrid of mood setting radio and a pomodoro-like technique leveraging GTD timer rolled into one.

And…..I found it works quite well actually! Have already wrote a post while using it and this very post is being written while using it. 

The idea is a sound one and they based the making of this  app on common neuroscience knowledge and a study. They have a very detailed FAQ that answers pretty much every single question you may want. So I will link to that at the end too. But the very essential facts about it are as follow:

Focus@will gives you 7 different kind of background music to choose from:

• Classical
• Focus Spa
• Up Tempo
• Alpha Chill
• Acoustical
• Cinematic
• Ambient

Once you choose a genre, you set up a timer for the task you may want to do. For example in the case of this post i set it up for 19 minutes.  Once you set up the time, you click play button so the music starts playing and the timer starts counting down. And the general idea is that this music is truly background music. It drowns the surrounding distractions with music. The music is designed to strike a balance in not been too boring and not too exciting. This is achieved via tempo, modulation and simple sound waves selections.  Or in layman terms the music is never too complex or too simple. Don’t goes too fast or too slow. Its goal is to stay suspended in a middle ground.

The fact background music works to relax you is as old as the rise of New Wave, Spa Time Outs and Chillax Music CD's.  Meaning it has been a commercialized idea for almost 30 years now. What this web app does is taking the idea of chillaxing into forcing you to get things done.  “Chillaxing” as much of a buzzword it is. Refers to when you are relaxed enough to hang out and enjoy of pastime activities and not too much for you to fall asleep. Which is why many waiting rooms, elevators and dentists offices adopted it at one point.

Focus@will is a freemium web app and it gives you 3 weeks of unlimited free use and after that it will give you up to 100 minutes of usage a day from what it seems. That is not clear enough. Will find out later as I intend to continue use this. Since I found it pleasant. Which is why I am writing about it. I tested out in IE10 and it worked. So it will also work in Windows Phone 8. However, unfortunately it don’t works in IE9 or IEM9.  Which means you will not be able to use it in Windows Phone 7 or the Xbox 360. Just so you know. The app itself works well, the background music is good for the purpose it was selected for and the freemium terms at first look, do look good too. Recommended for those looking a GTD motivator app with a different take on things.

Linkage

Focus@will FAQ

Focus@will.com     <—Homepage

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