This Mac Screen Blur App Really Helped Me Focus
Study after study shows that people actually can’t multitask, but we try to do it anyway. Why is this?
I partly blame our nice big computer monitors that fit a lot of open windows at once. I have a habit of leaving a chat window open in the background when I need to focus on writing, and I’m willing to bet you do something similar, even though you know—and agree—with studies that show it only increases your distractibility. I recently came across Monocle , a $4 indie Mac app that aims to solve this problem.
The monocle blurs everything on the screen except the current window. The idea is that this will force you to focus on the task at hand, rather than constantly keeping an eye on multiple open windows. Of course, you could do the same thing by using all your apps in full screen mode or by having just one app open at a time, but this approach means you can still easily switch between windows when it’s actually useful (rather than whenever your attention wanders).
If this sounds a little abstract, perhaps a few screenshots will clear things up. Here’s a cluttered Mac desktop with several windows open:
And here’s what the same desktop looks like with Monocle running:
The currently open window is clear, as is the menu bar. All other windows, not to mention the wallpaper, are blurry. In theory, blurring anything you’re not currently working on will make it easier to focus.
If that seems too extreme for you, Monocle offers a compromise of sorts: an option that only blurs the bottom three-quarters of each window. This allows you to mark what’s open without distraction:
There are a few more features in the settings that are worth exploring. If you wish, you can exclude certain applications from activating the effect. You can also adjust the grain of the blur and set up keyboard shortcuts to turn the feature on and off.
I tested Monocle for a couple of days, mostly while writing. For me, this is a core task that I do better when I focus solely on the task at hand. In this case, I found Monocle very useful. This is also the only time I actually left the blur on.
This is because there are a variety of tasks that actually require typing in one window while viewing another. For example, when I’m doing research, I usually have two windows open: Obsidian for my notes and a browser for the information I’m collecting. I constantly need to look out of both of these windows at the same time. I think most people have at least some tasks that also require multiple windows, and leaving blur during such tasks won’t be helpful at all.
The good news is that you can enable blur using a keyboard shortcut or by clicking the icon in the menu bar. I recommend doing this often—it’s a good way to learn what types of work do (and don’t) benefit from having multiple windows open. I also recommend not only turning on the app, but also hiding your Mac’s menu bar – this blocks even more things that might distract your attention.
If you’re curious about Monocle , the app offers a seven-day free trial. Try it yourself and see if it’s useful.