The Gamified Focus System You Didn't Know You Needed

Let’s be honest — staying focused is hard. One moment you're coding, the next you could be distracted by random messages and get stuck in that loop If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation, the Forest app might just be the focus buddy you didn’t know you needed. What is Forest? Forest is a productivity app that helps you stay focused by planting virtual trees. You set a timer, and as long as you stay off your phone, a tree grows. Leave the app? Your tree dies. It sounds simple, but it's surprisingly powerful. How It Works Set a focus timer (Can be set to values like 10min, 15min, 20min etc) Start a session Stay off your phone = tree grows Touch your phone = tree dies Repeat this and you’ll end up with an entire forest that represents your focused work time. You can even tag sessions (e.g. “coding,” “writing”) to visualize where your time goes. Gamifying Focus What makes Forest different from a basic timer or Pomodoro app is the emotional connection: Watching your tree grow gives a tiny dopamine hit each time Killing a tree by checking Instagram? Guilt trip You can unlock rare trees and decorate your forest Earn coins → exchange for new plants Partnered with Trees for the Future, so you can use your coins to plant real trees on Earth My Experience As a developer, I used to get distracted constantly — emails, chats. Since using Forest: I now work in focused sprints I associate “starting a focussed session” with a mini commitment It’s not magic, but it gives you just enough friction to think twice before picking up your phone. Another thing that is needed is a constant reminder to start the forest app when doing focussed work. At times I forget and gradually the app becomes forgotten for days. Final Thoughts In a world full of distractions, Forest brings something refreshing: a gentle nudge toward mindfulness, focus, and environmental impact. It’s more than a timer — it’s a tiny garden of your attention. If you're looking for a small habit that creates big change, start with a tree. If you're a software developer who enjoys exploring different technologies and techniques like this one, check out LiveAPI. It’s a super-convenient tool that lets you generate interactive API docs instantly. So, if you’re working with a codebase that lacks documentation, just use LiveAPI to generate it and save time! You can instantly try it out here!

May 3, 2025 - 20:32

The Gamified Focus System You Didn't Know You Needed

Let’s be honest — staying focused is hard. One moment you're coding, the next you could be distracted by random messages and get stuck in that loop

If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation, the Forest app might just be the focus buddy you didn’t know you needed.

What is Forest?

Forest is a productivity app that helps you stay focused by planting virtual trees. You set a timer, and as long as you stay off your phone, a tree grows. Leave the app? Your tree dies.

It sounds simple, but it's surprisingly powerful.

How It Works

Set a focus timer (Can be set to values like 10min, 15min, 20min etc)
Start a session
Stay off your phone = tree grows
Touch your phone = tree dies

Repeat this and you’ll end up with an entire forest that represents your focused work time. You can even tag sessions (e.g. “coding,” “writing”) to visualize where your time goes.

Gamifying Focus

What makes Forest different from a basic timer or Pomodoro app is the emotional connection:

Watching your tree grow gives a tiny dopamine hit each time
Killing a tree by checking Instagram? Guilt trip
You can unlock rare trees and decorate your forest
Earn coins → exchange for new plants
Partnered with Trees for the Future, so you can use your coins to plant real trees on Earth

My Experience

As a developer, I used to get distracted constantly — emails, chats. Since using Forest:

I now work in focused sprints
I associate “starting a focussed session” with a mini commitment

It’s not magic, but it gives you just enough friction to think twice before picking up your phone.

Another thing that is needed is a constant reminder to start the forest app when doing focussed work. At times I forget and gradually the app becomes forgotten for days.

Final Thoughts

In a world full of distractions, Forest brings something refreshing: a gentle nudge toward mindfulness, focus, and environmental impact. It’s more than a timer — it’s a tiny garden of your attention.

If you're looking for a small habit that creates big change, start with a tree.

If you're a software developer who enjoys exploring different technologies and techniques like this one, check out LiveAPI. It’s a super-convenient tool that lets you generate interactive API docs instantly.

So, if you’re working with a codebase that lacks documentation, just use LiveAPI to generate it and save time!

You can instantly try it out here!