Customize your Focusmate experience to match your work style and preferences with Session Settings. Whether you're diving into deep work or tackling chores, working at home or in a library, these settings can help you find the most compatible partners. Let's dive into how you can tailor your Focusmate sessions for a great experience.
My Task: Choose between ‘Desk’ (For writing, emails, coding, and more); ‘Moving’ (For workouts, chores, and active tasks); or ‘Anything’ (When you're juggling various tasks or still deciding) and we’ll try to match you with people doing similar things.
Quiet Mode: Great for situations where you are in a shared or quiet space (think offices and libraries) or don't want to speak for any reason. You can use the text chat to communicate with your partners.
Partner: Set the toggle to 'Prefer Favorites' and we'll match you with one of your Favorite partners if they're available. Toggle to 'Anyone' and we'll match you with the first available person.
Let’s explore a few key questions about Session Settings:
Where can I choose my Session Settings?
On the main calendar: On the panel to the left of the calendar, find the options in the 'Session Settings' box
On the 'Book a session' panel: Find the toggles for ‘My Task’, 'Quiet Mode', and ‘Partner’
On the 'Edit session' panel: Click the pencil icon on any booked session, and from there find the 'Session Settings' section. There you'll see toggles for ‘My Task’, 'Quiet Mode', and ‘Partner’. This way, you can change your selections after booking a session. You can also access this panel by clicking the task icon on the top right of session tiles.
When I make my Task, Quiet Mode, and Partner selections in Session Settings on the dashboard, do they apply to all the sessions I have booked?
The selections apply to any sessions you book after you make the selection. For example, if you chose ‘Desk’ in My Task and 'Prefer Favorites' in Partner and then booked three sessions, then changed the settings to ‘Moving’ and 'Anyone' and booked two more sessions, the first three sessions will have the ‘Desk’ and 'Prefer Favorites' setting and the later two will have ‘Moving’ and 'Anyone'.
Can I change my settings after booking a session?
Yes, you can change your Session Settings in the Edit Session panel. You can access that by clicking the pencil icon or the task icon on the session tile for any booked session.
How does Focusmate weigh criteria (such as Favorites, Task, etc.) while matching me with a partner?
The matching system considers a vast amount of information and preferences while matching people together. This includes Favorites, Tasks, Quiet Mode, Groups, gender preferences, Snoozes, and Blocks. In general, we aim to maximize instances where people who are Favorites, have the same task mode, and are members of a shared group are matched together. We also prioritize matching Quiet Mode partners together. Read more about how we match you here.
Now let's explore a few questions related to each specific setting:
My Task
When I indicate my task, say 'Desk', will I always get matched with people who are also in 'Desk' mode?
We'll try to match you with people doing the same task type as you whenever possible. If we cannot find someone with the same task, we'll match you with someone with a different task type.
How does My Task work when booking a session on the Favorites Availability page or on a partner’s Availability page?
We show the task icon for your Favorite partners’ sessions displayed on the Favorites Availability page, a Favorite’s Availability page or the Partner panel. When you book a session from one of these places, we will set your Task mode for that session to ‘Anything’. This ensures that your task mode is the most flexible one in case your planned task is different from your partner’s. You can always edit your Task to reflect what you’re doing in the session.
Quiet Mode
When I book a session in Quiet Mode, will I always get matched with people who are also in Quiet Mode?
We'll try to match you with people in Quiet Mode whenever possible. If we cannot find someone in Quiet Mode, we'll match you with someone who is okay being matched with a Quiet Mode partner.
How should I communicate with my partner in Quiet Mode sessions?
When you're in Quiet Mode, you can use the in-session text chat to update your partner about your goals and progress.
Note that if you're matched with someone who's not in Quiet Mode as well, they may want to share their updates verbally, so make sure you can hear them (consider using headphones).
Can I control how I am matched with people using Quiet Mode?
Yes. Go to Settings > Preferences > Quiet Mode and then choose between these two options:
I’m okay being matched with someone in Quiet Mode even if I’m not in Quiet Mode
Don’t match me with someone in Quiet Mode unless I’m also in Quiet Mode
How does Focusmate indicate when someone is in Quiet Mode?
When someone is in Quiet Mode, you'll see a small muted microphone icon next to their name on the calendar and other places such as the partner panel, in-session window, and the Favorites Availability list.
Similarly, your own name will appear with the same icon for other people. Your Quiet Mode sessions will also have the same icon in the top-right corner.
How does Quiet Mode work when booking a session on the Favorites Availability page or on a partner’s Availability page?
You'll see the Quiet Mode toggle on the Favorites Availability and partner Availability pages. When this toggle is on:
Any sessions you book on the page will be in Quiet Mode.
You'll see your Favorites' sessions that are either in Quiet Mode or if they're not in Quiet Mode, that person is okay working with someone in Quiet Mode.
Which sessions show up on the Availability pages when Quiet Mode is enabled depends on each Favorite Partner's Quiet Mode preference (see above). Similarly your own Quiet Mode preference controls whether your Favorites can book locked-in sessions with you if they're in Quiet Mode and you're not.
Partner
When I select 'Prefer Favorites' will I always get matched with one of my Favorite partners?
We'll match you with one of your Favorite partners whenever they are available and their Availability setting allows. Likewise, your own Availability setting controls who can match with you. More about the Availability setting here.
Note that the 'Prefer Favorites' option does not guarantee that you'll be matched with a Favorite partner. If we can't find a Favorite partner, we'll match you with another available user. If you'd like to work with a specific partner, you can book a locked-in session with them through the Favorites availability view.What does the 'Only match me if a Favorite partner is available' checkbox do? You can use this option if you want to only be matched with one of your Favorite partners. If none of them are available, we won't match you with another user.
A few things to note:
Choosing this option might lead to longer matching times or unmatched sessions
On your Availability page, the sessions for which you've checked this box will only be visible to your Favorite partners
How do I share my feedback on these options? Glad you asked! Just click here: https://forms.gle/Pu783eQkVcGh3wLj8