You must stay focused. No TikTok, no Instagram, no little phone games. If you fail, a small anthropomorphic bean will be very disappointed — because its knitting project depends entirely on your ability to resist distractions.
That’s the idea behind Focus Friend, a productivity app created by Honey B Games and Hank Green, the longtime online creator and entrepreneur. After a soft launch last month, the app is now climbing the App Store charts, reaching No. 4 among all free apps and No. 2 in productivity, fueled by Hank and his brother John Green posting about it more often.
Focus Friend functions like a typical productivity app: you set a timer to block distractions. On iOS, its “Deep Focus Mode” links with Apple’s Screen Time settings, letting you choose which apps to lock during your session.
But what makes the app stand out is the little bean companion it assigns you. You can name your bean — Garbanzo, Susan Bean Anthony, or even Eda (short for Edamame). The bean needs to knit, but it can only keep working if you stay focused. Complete your session successfully, and your bean rewards you with in-game points (socks), which can be spent on decorations for its room.
Motivation Through Companionship
The concept is similar to apps like Finch, which gives users a virtual bird that grows when they complete healthy tasks such as brushing their teeth or drinking water. Like Tamagotchis from the 2000s, these apps tap into the instinct to care for something cute and digital — in this case, by helping us build better habits.
Focus Friend is free to use, but there are paid options. You can buy cosmetic “skins” for your bean, like turning it into a jelly bean or a “Kitt-ney Bean.” A subscription unlocks scarves your bean can knit, which can then be traded for premium decorations. According to Green, the goal is to keep the app ad-free while still covering the costs of the team who brought the beans to life.
Author’s Opinion
The brilliance of Focus Friend is that it doesn’t shame you into productivity; it makes you laugh and care about a bean with a hobby. Productivity tools that frame focus as punishment often fail because people feel judged. Here, the motivation is playful and silly, which may actually make it more effective than many strict timer apps.
Featured image credit: Wikimedia Commons
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