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Myzo

Focus sessions

How the 25-minute focus block works, what happens during and between blocks, and how sessions turn into XP.

Updated 2026-09-23

Focus sessions are the engine of Myzo. Every task your kid works on happens inside a focus session — a run of 25-minute focus blocks separated by 5-minute breaks. This is how tasks get done, how XP is earned, and how you get a real read on how much attentive time your kid actually put in.

The 25/5 rhythm

Each block is 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break. After four blocks, the app suggests a longer break. This structure comes from decades of research into sustained attention — long enough for real work, short enough to fit a kid's window.

The timer runs on your kid's device. When they hit Start Session on a task, the countdown begins.

What kids see during a block

During a block, the timer takes over the whole screen. It shows:

  • The task name they're working on.
  • The block countdown (25:00 → 0:00).
  • A visual ring that shrinks as time passes.
  • A Pause button (they can pause once per block).
  • An End Session button if they need to stop early.

At 0:00 the app chimes and rolls into the 5-minute break screen. The chime repeats for up to 30 seconds, or until your kid taps — long enough that they'll hear it if they've wandered off, which is the point. It plays even if the phone is on silent or vibrate, like an alarm; every other sound in the app respects the ringer switch. During the break, we suggest they get up, stretch, drink water — anything but stay on the screen. When the break ends, the app asks whether they want to run another block on the same task, switch tasks, or wrap up.

What you see in real time

On your parent dashboard, when a kid is running a session:

  • The Focus time today counter ticks up minute by minute.
  • The active task card shows a small "in session" indicator.
  • If they pause or end early, the indicator disappears.

You'll never see a live view of what they're doing on their screen — Myzo doesn't monitor screen content, only the timer state. See Privacy + COPPA.

Blocks and XP

Every completed block earns XP. A full 25-minute block is worth 10 XP. Ending early gives partial credit rounded to the nearest 5 minutes. Pausing doesn't cost XP as long as the block still completes.

When a task is marked done at the end of a session, the kid earns a task-completion XP bonus on top of the block XP. See Rewards + XP for the full XP economy.

How many blocks does a task need?

When kids create a task, Myzo suggests a block count based on the task type: 1 block for a short homework assignment, 3-4 for a quiz prep, up to 8 for a big project. This is a suggestion, not a limit — a kid can run as many blocks on a task as they want.

Session history

Every session your kid has ever run is stored on the task itself. Tap a task card on your dashboard and scroll to the Session history list at the bottom. You'll see: date, start time, number of blocks completed, total minutes, and any notes the kid added at the end.

What if a kid runs a session with nothing to work on?

They can't. Focus sessions require an active task — this is deliberate. It keeps the metric honest: focus time is time spent on real assignments, not open-ended screen time.

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