macOS Monterey: Focus helps you get more done
macOS Monterey was released yesterday. A nice new option is Focus: this is an extension of the previous Do Not Disturb function. This will filter your notifications and prevent distractions. For example, if you are at work, you will only receive notifications from people and apps that are relevant at that time. For example, from colleagues or work-related apps. This way you get more done! You can create a Focus for every situation. If you set it up on your Mac, it will automatically work on your other Apple devices. You can also set up Focus on your iPhone via iOS 15, but in this workshop we’ll show you how to activate the macOS Monterey Focus feature on your Mac.
1. System Preferences
Open System Preferences and click the redesigned Notifications & Focus section. At the top of the screen, choose the Focus panel. Here’s where we’ll start with setting up your Focus.
2. macOS Monterey: Set Focus
In the sidebar on the left you will already find nine moments when you probably want to be ‘in focus’, such as Gaming, Reading and Work. Click on one, for example ‘Personal’.
3. Add allowed apps
Under ‘Allowed notifications from’ you indicate from which people and apps you want to continue to receive notifications during your focus. Just click on the plus sign and add them one by one.
4. Automatically enable focus
If you click the plus sign under ‘Turn on automatically’, you can indicate when the focus should start automatically. For example, at a specific time or location, or when you open a specific app.
5. Additional Options
Click on ‘Options’ at the top to let calls from, for example, your favorite contacts always come through, regardless of the focus. You can also do that for repeated and time-sensitive notifications.
6. Create your own Focus
Click on the plus sign at the bottom left and then on ‘Custom’ to create your own unique focus. Give it a name, a color and a symbol and then click ‘Add’.
7. Customize the details
Your focus now ends up between the other default focuses in the sidebar on the left. You can fill in the details in the same way as just explained in steps 3 to 5.
8. Activate focus via menu bar
A focus can always be started manually – even if you have scheduled it, for example. To do this, open the Control Panel, click on ‘Focus’ and choose the desired focus from the list that appears.
9. Put it in the menu bar
In System Preferences, click Dock and Menu Bar and choose Focus in the bar on the left. Check ‘Show in menu bar’ and set it to ‘always’. This way you can start your focus super fast from the menu bar!