{"slug": "i-got-tired-of-losing-focus-while-typing-so-i-built-phokus", "title": "I got tired of losing focus while typing, so I built Phokus", "summary": "A developer built Phokus, a distraction-free markdown notepad that tracks how often a user's focus slips and responds with roasts or praise. The bare-bones tool deliberately omits accounts, menus, and AI writing assistants, and adds achievements for sustained concentration. The project is open-sourced on GitHub, with the developer soliciting UI/UX feedback.", "body_md": "Well, every modern note-taking app out there is trying way too hard. I just wanted a clean screen to dump my thoughts, but instead I’m getting hit with AI writing assistants I didn't ask for, sidebars that look like an aeroplane cockpit, and cloud-syncing pop-ups that ruin my entire workflow.\n\nBecause of this, I built Phokus — a completely blank, distraction-free markdown notepad utility that does exactly one thing: lets you write in peace.\n\n*\"Just use Notepad, bro\"*\n\nShut up.\n\n**Here's why it's actually useful:**\n\nZero Clutter: No accounts, no configurations, no menus (kinda). It’s literally just a blank canvas for typing.\n\nThe 'Distraktions' Counter: To gamify things, it tracks exactly how many times your focus slips or you click away. It also roasts you for getting distracted one too many times.\n\nI'm keeping this bare-bones so it doesn't become like the bloatware I hate.\n\nI'd love any feedback you guys have on the UI/UX, or any small features you think could actually help you stay in the zone without messing up the clean aesthetic. I've learnt so much while building this, and I'm about to learn much more.\n\nHere's the link to the GitHub repo:\n\nMy biggest project yet... or maybe my first actual project\n\nWell, Phokus is a small project I decided to start. The whole idea was to make a notepad that actively penalized the user for getting distracted. It slowly evolved from that to a text editor that not only roasts you for having the attention span of the average Gen Alpha kid, but one that also praises you for staying focused on the actual goal\n\n*Right now the notepad only blurs for a few seconds when the user changes tabs. Not very evil, huh?*\n\nThe above line is from a few weeks ago. I've added more things, but the highlight of the new features so far is the achievements you unlock for determination (and ADHD)\n[Try to catch all the references (if you can 😏)](https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/193363985/649605717-1852e6b0-0fe1-4b2f-ad31-236270a6434a.png?jwt=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJnaXRodWIuY29tIiwiYXVkIjoicmF3LmdpdGh1YnVzZXJjb250ZW50LmNvbSIsImtleSI6ImtleTUiLCJleHAiOjE3ODkwNjM2NjMsIm5iZiI6MTc4OTA2MzM2MywicGF0aCI6Ii8xOTMzNjM5ODUvNjQ5NjA1NzE3LTE4NTJlNmIwLTBmZTEtNGIyZi1hZDMxLTIzNjI3MGE2NDM0YS5wbmc_WC1BbXotQWxnb3JpdGhtPUFXUzQtSE1BQy1TSEEyNTYmWC1BbXotQ3JlZGVudGlhbD1BS0lBVkNPRFlMU0E1M1BRSzRaQSUyRjIwMjYwOTEwJTJGdXMtZWFzdC0xJTJGczMlMkZhd3M0X3JlcXVlc3QmWC1BbXotRGF0ZT0yMDI2MDkxMFQxODAyNDNaJlgtQW16LUV4cGlyZXM9MzAwJlgtQW16LVNpZ25hdHVyZT1kZjQwNzgxYzMwMmRhMWY2MjU2ODJkZWM4ZTE4ZDNmZmQ3MDEwMWM3ZTUyZGY5NmY0ZmVkYmFmMDUzZmQzY2ZjJlgtQW16LVNpZ25lZEhlYWRlcnM9aG9zdCZyZXNwb25zZS1jb250ZW50LXR5cGU9aW1hZ2UlMkZwbmcifQ.vEiwkrlXH_cfuaoSS9sYGZ-JzWYfBugaFH7RLiWUwAA)", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/i-got-tired-of-losing-focus-while-typing-so-i-built-phokus", "canonical_source": "https://dev.to/joelezema/i-got-tired-of-losing-focus-while-typing-so-i-built-phokus-2jk2", "published_at": "2026-09-10 18:00:44+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-10 18:36:06.485083+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-products", "developer-tools"], "entities": ["Phokus", "GitHub"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/i-got-tired-of-losing-focus-while-typing-so-i-built-phokus", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/i-got-tired-of-losing-focus-while-typing-so-i-built-phokus.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/i-got-tired-of-losing-focus-while-typing-so-i-built-phokus.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/i-got-tired-of-losing-focus-while-typing-so-i-built-phokus.jsonld"}}