Work and downtime device modes
Two profiles on one device, switched on a clock, so the machine changes job
Set a phone or tablet to swap home screens, widgets and wallpaper at fixed times. The same hardware then shows work apps by day and reading or media apps at night. On Apple devices that is Focus modes; other systems have their own version of the same idea. Notifications are beside the point. What most people who try it want is a visible line between work and the rest of the day, without buying a second device.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Federico ViticciDoes it
Apple writer · founder of MacStories
Two scheduled Focus modes turn the same iPad into two machines. Work Mode runs from 8am with widgets for tasks and links; Downtime takes over at midnight with media apps and dark icons. He is not trying to silence notifications, he writes, only to get a consistent pair of Home Screens for each half of the day.
Source: MacStories: iPad Pro for Everything“So after ignoring them for years, I created two Focus modes: Work Mode and Downtime. … This way, I have a couple of hours with a media-focused iPad Home Screen before I go to sleep at night, and when I wake up around 9:00 AM, the iPad Pro is already configured with my work apps and widgets.”
MacStories: iPad Pro for Everything (opens in a new tab) · 18 Dec 2024
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or productivity.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Daily reading
A fixed daily reading block, usually books rather than feeds
On record from 25 of 62 tracked people: 23 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Early rising
A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
On record from 11 of 62 tracked people: 10 do it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily writing
Write something every day, published or not
On record from 10 of 62 tracked people: 8 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Phone-free first hour
No email, news or social media until you have done something of your own
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Margin notes
Writing in the margins while reading, especially where you disagree with the author
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Thinking retreats
Blocks of time cleared of the schedule to sit with one hard problem
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 has discussed it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.