
Focusmate – Virtual Coworking Helps You Get Things Done - jeffshek
https://www.focusmate.com/
======
davideous
I've been using focusmate for four months. It's been absolutely revolutionary
for me. (I work remote at home, so YMMV.)

Here are some of the ways:

(1) I’ve been getting a ton more done and feeling better about it.

(2) It really does help me focus. I hardly ever get distracted from the task
at hand. I used to get distracted a lot.

The focus does not come from being watched, but because I’m "working together"
with someone else, and I don’t want to let them or myself down. And because of
the built-in break/recovery schedule. It's like a hack for my brain.

(3) I schedule back-to-back sessions, so I have 50 minutes of 100% focus and
then 10 minutes between. In the 10 minutes I use the bathroom, get coffee,
clear my head, walk around, or stretch. These things I’m sure help enable the
100% focus for the 50 minutes. I don’t feel as worn out at the end of the day
(and I get more done).

(3) Declaring my goal for the session at the beginning and then reporting on
it at the end has caused me to become much more realistic about how long
things take.

(4) Being more realistic about how long things take has made it possible to
plan out my week. I’m now planning my day and week in "focusmate session sized
blocks" of work. I do have to adjust the plan, but making the plan has been a
huge help.

(5) Setting a focusmate appointment in the morning causes me me to get started
at a constant time — for the first time in my life. Knowing that someone else
is relying on me to be at the session makes me show up.

(6) The little bit of social connection helps working at home to not feel
lonley.

~~~
Androider
It's like the Pomodoro technique, but with peer pressure of the Pomodoro timer
being disappointed if you bail. Not wanting to let someone else down, even a
stranger, I can see how that would help you stick to it. Brilliant!

~~~
davideous
You're right! Most of what I described is common to the Pomodoro technique. I
was never able to stick to the Pomodoro technique. The accountability of the
timer being a person is huge.

It's weird (but true) that disappointing a random person is more motivating to
me than doing what I told myself I would do.

------
pstrazzulla
Been using this for the past 4-5 months, ever since I saw a personal story of
someone using it posted to HN.

It's been a game changer for me. I can WFH productively for the first time in
my life, and have had 95% enjoyable experiences with the people on the other
end of the chats thus far.

To those complaining about the pricing...they just started charging and I'm
sure that's why it's not in the FAQ. Also, it's $5/mo, they aren't trying to
get you hooked on something and then surprise you with $500/mo or something.

------
csomar
I used Focusmate a lot and then dropped it. I think it serves its purpose well
until you get used to it and then productivity starts dropping again.

I also would like to highlight something which is not particular to Focusmate
but rather a phenomena spreading to all these SaaS platforms: Focusmate is not
free. It's a paying product that costs $5/month.

There is absolutely no details of pricing on the home page. There is no
pricing page on the website. The FAQ itself doesn't mention pricing. This will
only come up after you signup and start using it. There are details on the
blog but that's about it.

It really gets on my nerves when services do that and I decided to ignore
anything that ignores my right to know the price beforehand. But I can see it
working with the general public for a while.

~~~
taylorjacobson
Founder of Focusmate here.

I'm sorry to hear the effect that not having a pricing page has had on you.
Thanks for sharing your feedback.

A few thoughts:

1) Focusmate IS free to use 3 times per week. Most of our users are on the
free plan. You can use it in perpetuity for free.

2) We don't have a pricing page yet because we started charging 29 days ago,
and because we're shipping product incrementally. (We are a 3-person team with
1 engineer, FWIW.)

3) At this very nascent stage, there is value to being able to run pricing
tests, which we can't do if we publish a pricing page. (The downside is we
annoy some people, which is not a trivial downside. Knowing the negative
effect on you is meaningful to us/me.)

I welcome additional thoughts/feedback.

Taylor

~~~
csomar
> Focusmate IS free to use 3 times per week.

Better say that Focusmate is free to try. 3 times/week is so little to be any
useful.

~~~
throwGuardian
> 3 times/week is so little to be any useful.

If a user is exceeding this free teir, they're likely finding it useful enough
to pay, and should pay

------
jasode
There seems to be various unrelated domains that are tapping into the power of
_virtual presence of others_ to enhance personal performance.

The obvious one is the Peloton exercise bikes with the video of the live
instructor motivating them.

Before the virtually connected humans, we had real ones such as "pacers" in
running: [https://livehealthy.chron.com/pacer-
running-2865.html](https://livehealthy.chron.com/pacer-running-2865.html)

There's probably a meme or jargon that encompasses all the above psychology
but I don't know what it is.

------
Double_a_92
I hate it when services have texts like "get started for FREE". What does that
mean? Is literally just the signup for free? Do I have to pay some
subscription in the future? Is it a time limited trial? Is it really just
free? ... oof.

------
conception
A similar product, that I think I found on HN actually, is
[https://complice.co](https://complice.co) \- though it's more like you hang
out in chat rooms with people doing pomodoros together combined with a GTD
task manager. So, same sort of idea but less.. intrusive?

------
zackmorris
I watched the 30 second video, and they mention that there is no collaboration
(by design). Does anyone know of a site that does have collaboration?

My situation is that I'm getting back into contracting after being at an
office job for 4 years. I'm updating my Upwork profile, getting my resume and
portfolio together, all the things. But when I look at my recommended jobs, I
get this sinking feeling like I'm working in a vacuum.

I'd prefer something that works line an online shared workspace, where I'd go
in, say "hey I'm a backend PHP/Laravel and iOS/Android developer, does someone
need help for a few hours or days for around 50 bucks an hour?" and someone
would ping me with an offer and we'd get right to work solving their problem.

I also very much needed this when I couldn't find an answer on Stack Overflow.
I've looked at [https://www.codementor.io](https://www.codementor.io) but
can't tell if that's what they're going for or how much friction is involved.

------
buboard
Video surveillance is not the solution to this problem. It's outright creepy.
I think a simple chat group or a game can better serve the purpose of
providing a virtual "office environment". I think highfidelity is working on
something along those lines, but you can already use an
opensimulator/secondlife space as realtime hangout place.

I'm also critical of their "behavioral triggers". For example, "Pre-
commitment" has more often be found to have the reverse effect: when you tell
people what you will do, you end up not doing it. And social pressure is hit
or miss. (Their generic list of neurotransmitters is also suspect). I see a
future in this but with a different structure: paid behavioral coaches that
teach you how to be more disciplined. That would be a valuable service,
because right now remote work is not for everyone for the reason that they 're
not disciplined. That's something malleable

~~~
taylorjacobson
Is working at a coffee shop "surveillance"?

The experience on Focusmate is akin to working with a buddy at a library or
cafe.

As far as pre-commitment: I think you've got your behavioral triggers mixed
up.

Wikipedia has a good definition: "Precommitment refers to a strategy that an
agent may use to restrict the number of choices available to him or her at a
future time. The strategy may also involve the imposition of obstacles or
additional costs to certain courses of action in advance."

I think you're thinking about telling someone what you'll do. That works when
you tell someone what action you plan to take. It backfires when you share
what result you'll get, because your brain visualizes some of the result, and
experiences the reward prematurely.

~~~
buboard
> Is working at a coffee shop "surveillance"?

The security camera guy of the shop is surveillance. Being in a public space,
knowing who is looking at you (let alone, he is being seen by others as
looking at you), is not the same thing.

Maybe precommitment is not what i had in mind but but you do mention
explicitly "implementation intentions" as "what to do and how you will do it"
which may not be an optimal thing to do.

[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ulterior-
motives/200...](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ulterior-
motives/200905/if-you-want-succeed-don-t-tell-anyone)

------
mellosouls
A couple of questions for experienced users, or FocusMate reps: this sounds
like a potentially useful service but I'm concerned about privacy issues and
not annoying other people, esp wrt working in public or common work spaces.

I guess this isn't much different to any other remote conference in that
regard - any thoughts on how to use this in a polite and safe way? Or is the
idea it's really for use in a private environment only, like your home? That
is implied in some of the intro material.

Basically, what are etiquette considerations or issues for other people who
aren't involved in the session? Just don't use it in that context?

Secondly, how have you handled the unusual nature of this compared to normal
conferencing - where you are directly and continuously interacting with the
other person, rather than having them quietly watching over your shoulder as
in this case? There are obviously quite concerning potential privacy issues
here as well.

~~~
taylorjacobson
Hi! Thanks for your questions.

We have many users who use it in public or semi-public places. You are only
interacting with your Focusmate at the start and end, and that for just 30
seconds or so to say hello and share what you're committing to work on. As
compared to people having a loud conversation in a cafe, this is very, very
minimal. We also have users who are in libraries or other quiet spaces, and
they usually indicate that on their profiles and by logging in early and
sending a chat to their partner.

As far as the "unusual nature" \-- a few things. One, consider that it takes a
fair bit of effort to set up and attend a Focusmate session. That screens out
99% of privacy concerns because people are truly motivated to be there to get
work done. The fact that users have a profile and track record also mitigates
this issue. Sure, we have new users joining, but once someone has 5-10
sessions under their belt, the community has had a chance to vet them. As far
as new users with malicious intentions, that's certainly possible, and we have
blocking and reporting functionality to stay on top of those issues. Last
thing I'll add is that there isn't much someone can "do" to you over
videoconference. If you were to feel uncomfortable, you can just close the
tab.

You can learn more here:
[https://www.focusmate.com/community](https://www.focusmate.com/community)

~~~
mellosouls
Much appreciated, thank you

------
Lindssilvern
A few comments here saying this is creepy af. If you think that, fine, don’t
join. I think this is one of the most genius things I’ve ever come across, I
love it, love the community and am so much more productive since I found it.

------
bogle
No pricing info right now but it looks like it'd be fun to try out. As it's
free that may help build up a user base.

~~~
amirathi
Their turbo plan is $5 per month for unlimited sessions. Their free plan gives
you 3 free sessions a week.

It's a bit weird that as a signed up user I can see the pricing information
but it's not publicly available on their homepage. Anyway I like the service
as 1 or 2 sessions in a day helps me get into the rhythm.

------
pgt
I love this idea, but I think there is a stronger pricing model than paying
per session.

Is the founder on HN? Please talk to me - this is a large market that I've
been keeping an eye on for a while. If this is executed with the right
toolset, this could be a Zoom or a Slack one day.

~~~
elliekelly
If you sign up for FocusMate he’ll email you ten times a day. You can also
sign up to do a FocusMate session with him and then you’d be able to send him
a message via the platform.

~~~
taylorjacobson
Taylor here. I welcome your feedback on how we do email campaigns.

~~~
elliekelly
I appreciate the opportunity. I quite like FocusMate but the emails drive me
nuts.

When I'm logged in I can change email settings for Calendar Invites (I
definitely want these) and Performance Reports (if I could track my own
performance metrics I'd want these but for now they're really just a prompt to
schedule mores sessions like every other FocusMate email). Opting out of
Performance Reports apparently doesn't opt me out of "FocusMate Stats" emails
even though they're basically the same.

Clicking "manage subscriptions" at the bottom of an email takes me to a
_different_ page of email settings that's almost impossible to figure out -
Engagement? Outreach? Important Messages? CEO? I have no idea what I'm opting
into or out of.

Important messages sounds like something I want - I'm glad I got your emails
about the new subscriptions, for example. (Was that an "important message" or
"CEO"?) But important messages also seems to include not so important stuff -
like the email of dubious veracity about the unemployed food truck guy who
turned his life around in a week by scheduling a ton of FocusMate sessions.
That was (yet another) email trying to get me to schedule more sessions.

I like FocusMate and I think it's is well worth $5/month but any email that
ends with some version of "book more sessions" is an email that I don't want
or need.

~~~
taylorjacobson
Great feedback, thank you.

We're still learning how to use our email tool optimally, and we have some
fixes to implement, which will help reduce/elimiate the confusion you're
talking about.

Over time we can also integrate more of those emails directly into the app, in
your settings, alongside the Cal invites and Performance reports. (Doing that
requires more engineering work, so is a bit slower.)

As far as the duplicate stats email: I just removed it. Our bad!

Thank you again so much for the feedback. Keep it coming!

Taylor

------
conjectures
I read comments here, I watched the video. I still have no idea what this is
actually for.

There is chat app, maybe someone can see your screen. I don't know.

~~~
taylorjacobson
How it works: you and another user video-conference for 50-minutes to hold
each other accountable and keep each other company. Focusmate makes it easy to
find a partner 24/7/365.

------
ottoflux
TL/DR: Book appointments on your calendar to get work done and stick to them.
Shut off notifications while you're in there.

I've been working from home for a decade now, and basically I think this is
bonkers (no offense, I see the founder is here posting). With all the tools
out there if you really want to do that pair up with a coworker and do it with
an existing tool. I don't work in pajamas or do anything dumb but I have zero
(0) interest in having someone I don't even work with having a video feed into
my house. That's as a man, don't even get me started on how uncomfortable I'd
be if I wasn't a cis / straight guy.

~~~
5874-4b22-a4e0
Just get a offline video recording device, and record yourself on loop if you
want to have the feeling of being watched. Then just repeat what you did
before and after the session for accountability.

This concept is creepy af, and its hilarious to have to pay for it.

~~~
zuno
What's possibly hilarious is to have never tried it, and to suspect that its
concept is creepy.

Sure, the webcam is on, but as long as the person at the other end seems to be
reasonably busy with something, it should not be bothersome at all. And of
course, you can always exit a session.

On having to pay for it - why not? Why not try paying for a service that asks
for a reasonably designed monthly payment term instead of annual one time
payments? Or the ones on which ads cover half the page?

Entrepreneurs need words of encouragement.

------
ycombonator
What in the WE is Virtual Coworking ? Does it elevate my consciousness with
Blockchain sped up by IOT devices powered by 5G which funnel data through
Kafka to backend instances that have been clustered up the wazoo with
Kubernetes !

------
dgellow
Could someone summarize what is a "virtual coworking" or "accountability
partner"? I don't really understand the concept. Is it about having a video
chat with a person who is watching you work?

~~~
theon144
I don't think a simple description will cut it; the idea is that with co-
working, you meet up (physically) at some space, and all work on your
projects. The simple fact of not being at your home and in the presence of
other people with work to do helps a lot with productivity, even if you don't
speak at all. This, I understand, is an attempt to virtualize this effect.

It may seem a bit silly but I honestly dig it, I have immense trouble getting
myself to work at home, but co-working I can get into flow for hours at a
time. I think that this sort of virtual co-workers might just work, because I
think I'd feel really weird if I went all the trouble to set up a session,
"meet" with someone and then just browse HN for 50 minutes. I'd be much more
likely to feel "indebted" to the other guy's time, even though we have no
professional relationship as such.

It's just a psychology hack, no more, no less.

------
cwolfi
Focusmate started as a productivity hack and became a community for me

------
t34543
This is my nightmare, it’s incredibly exhausting to be watched on video. I
really enjoy dead silence when working. No music, convo, etc. Check ins a few
times a week is perfect for me.

------
ebg13
The "How it Works" section should be at the very top of the page, because it's
the part that tells you wtf this service does.

------
lizam
I finally feel that I don't have to worry about my writing. It will happen
because I have Focusmate! Amazing, thank you!

