Pause Blocking

If you’ve ever wished for a quick break during a focus session, you’ll be glad to know that 1Focus Pro includes a feature that allows you to pause blocking for a limited time. This means you can handle emergencies or take a breather without losing your progress.

Just a heads-up: by default, this feature is turned off.

This guide will show you how to enable and use the pause feature in 1Focus.

⚙️ How to Enable Pausing in 1Focus

The default pausing allowance is set to 0 minutes, which means pausing is turned off until you update this setting.

As with any other adjustment in 1Focus, you can only change your pausing allowance while blocking is inactive.

Follow these steps to enable pausing in 1Focus:

1. Subscribe to 1Focus Pro.
2. Wait for any active block to end. You can only change your settings when there are no active blocks (no green status indicator).
3. Open 1Focus. Reopen the window by clicking the arrow icon in the top right of your screen.
4. Click the menu icon (≡) in the top right of the 1Focus window.
5. Click Preferences.
6. Under “Suspend Blocking,” set a pausing allowance that fits your needs:
   • For example, 10 minutes every 2 hours.
   • Or 60 minutes every 24 hours.
   • For a daily allowance of 30 minutes, enter 30 minutes per 10 hours (not per 24 hours).
   • For unlimited pausing, enter 61 minutes per 1 hour.
   • If you get the error “The value is too large,” it means there is an active block, so you can’t modify these settings at this moment. The solution is to wait for blocking to end—then revisit your settings. You cannot increase the pausing allowance while blocking is active. Otherwise, the setting could be used to bypass blocking, which most users do not want.
7. Close the Preferences window.
8. Click the Websites tab and select the websites you want to block.
9. Add any apps you wish to block under Apps.
10. Click the Schedule tab and schedule blocking.

That’s it! You can now pause blocking for a limited time. Once your pausing allowance runs out, pausing will be disabled until it recharges. This keeps your focus protected while still giving you a chance to take a quick break when needed.

Note: Apps that could be used to bypass blocking, like Activity Monitor, will remain blocked even during pauses, helping everyone in the 1Focus community stay on track!

Keep in Mind

The pausing allowance doesn’t reset at a specific time; instead, it follows the time frame you set in the second field under “Suspend Blocking.” For example, if you enter 120 minutes per 24 hours, your allowance is based on your usage over the past 24 hours (counting back from the current time).

If you want a daily allowance that feels “fresh” each day, try setting the time frame to 10 hours. This way, your pausing usage from the previous day won’t impact your allowance for today.

⏸️ How to Pause Blocking in 1Focus

1. Set a pausing allowance. Remember, the default is zero.
2. Click the pause button in the top left corner of the 1Focus window whenever you need a break.
3. When you’re ready, click the resume button to continue blocking as usual.

🚫 How to Disable Pausing in 1Focus

If you want to return to “no exceptions, no distractions," it only takes a moment to restore 1Focus to its default, pause-free state:

1. Open 1Focus.
2. Click the menu icon (≡) in the top right of the 1Focus window.
3. Click Preferences.
4. Under “Suspend Blocking,” enter “0” in the minutes field.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Here are answers to the most common questions from our 1Focus community about the pause feature:

• If you get an error like "The value is too large", wait for blocking to end. You cannot increase the pausing allowance while blocking is active. Otherwise, this setting could be used to bypass blocking, which most users do not want.
• If the pause button is grayed out, you have used up your pausing allowance. Wait for pausing to become available again, or increase the pausing allowance if needed.
• The pausing feature doesn’t reset at a specific time; instead, it uses the time frame you set in the second field under “Suspend Blocking.” For example, if you enter 120 minutes per 24 hours, it considers your usage over the past 24 hours (from the current time going back one day). For a daily allowance, setting a value of 10 hours works better, because your pausing usage from the previous day won’t affect your allowance for today.
• If this support page keeps opening, it’s because your pausing allowance is 0 minutes, meaning no pausing is allowed. Set a pausing allowance.
• For a daily allowance of 30 minutes, enter 30 minutes per 10 hours. Do not enter 24 hours, as it would consider the past 24 hours, including yesterday. Your usage yesterday would affect your allowance today, so 10 hours works better for this.
• Apps that could be used to circumvent blocking, like Activity Monitor, will continue to be blocked during pauses.
• If the remaining pausing time stops counting down, that’s not a bug. You’re regaining pausing time as previous usage drops outside your chosen time window in your pausing settings.

For help, contact support.

💡 More Ways to Improve Your Block Sessions

• Access blocked sites for a limited time: Learn how to schedule limited access to distracting websites and applications to maintain a healthy digital balance.

• How to block porn on Mac with 1Focus: Learn how to block adult sites and pornography.

• How to block keywords in the URL: Find out how to block specific keywords in website URLs.

For more detailed instructions on setting up 1Focus, visit our Support Page.