An App Idea for Forcing Yourself to Focus on Practice
A session-starter app that makes beginning a practice session frictionless, blocks short-form distractions during that window, and pairs users with an accountability partner for daily check-ins.
How can I force myself to lock on, and solely focus on work/practice?
Long story short I want to just focus on just doing as much art practice into the rest of the year, until December ig, however historically I am really bad at focusing. I’ve planed on doing this all year but I haven’t really gotten the will to do it.
The problem, in the searcher’s words
"How do I make myself lock in and just focus on practice?" is the question — someone has a goal (get better at art, or any skill) and months of runway, but keeps not starting. It's not that the work itself is hard to concentrate on once begun; it's that the will to sit down and begin never shows up on its own.
The usual advice — phone in another room, block distracting apps — treats it as a pure focus problem, but the real friction is at the starting line, not mid-session. People describe fixes like deleting TikTok/Instagram, doing a tiny 10-20 minute session instead of waiting to feel motivated, leaving themselves a note on what to do next, and finding an accountability partner to check in with daily.
Underneath this is a search for structure: something that makes starting cost almost nothing, keeps short-form-content temptation out of reach during a session, and creates outside accountability so the habit doesn't rely on willpower alone.
What the thread shows
Multiple commenters independently converge on the same coping mechanisms — tiny starting units, removing short-form content, and accountability partners — showing the pain (procrastination on self-directed practice) is common, but no one in the thread names or pays for a tool that solves it.
“however historically I am really bad at focusing”
“you're not trying to summon an hour of focus, you're trying to defeat the first 60 seconds.”
“I deleted tik tok and ig, literally just remove short form content from your day and watch the magic happen.”
“You might need accountability to other people.”
Target customer
Who
Self-directed learners and hobbyists (here, a visual artist) trying to build a consistent solo practice habit without external deadlines
Context
They've set a personal goal with a distant deadline (e.g. 'improve by December') but repeatedly fail to start sessions, especially when short-form social apps are the easiest alternative action.
What to build
- One-tap 'start a session' button with a deliberately tiny default (e.g. 60 seconds to 10 minutes)
- Scheduled or session-triggered blocking of short-form apps/sites (TikTok, Instagram, etc.)
- End-of-session prompt to log a one-line 'next step' note for the following session
- Daily streak counter plus a simple 1-5 self-rated effort log
- Accountability pairing: match or invite a partner and auto-share a daily check-in (photo/text) of what was done
Build note — Distraction blocking would need OS-level integration (iOS Screen Time API, Android Digital Wellbeing/UsageStats) since third-party apps can't fully block other apps without these; accountability check-ins need push notifications and lightweight social sharing (photo/text) between paired users.
Later, if it lands
Who’s already out there
Gamified focus timer that blocks phone use and 'grows a tree' during a session.
Gap: Addresses staying focused once a session starts, but doesn't address the 'starting is the hard part' problem or provide human accountability, which is what commenters actually pointed to as the fix.
Pairs users with a stranger for live virtual co-working sessions to create accountability.
Gap: Provides accountability but requires scheduling a live session with a stranger, which is heavier friction than what commenters described wanting — a tiny, self-directed daily habit with a known partner.
Demand read
The pain (procrastination on self-directed practice) is corroborated by several commenters sharing their own coping strategies, but nobody in the thread mentions paying for, or wanting to pay for, a tool — the advice given is entirely free/DIY (delete apps, self-discipline, accountability texts).
Worth digging into before you build
2 to considerNo idea is a sure thing at this stage — these are open questions worth checking yourself, not a verdict against building it.
Generic Idea
Focus/habit/accountability apps are a saturated category (Forest, Focusmate, Habitica, etc.); this page would need a sharp differentiator to rank or convert.
Weak Demand
No commenter states a price, names a paid tool they use, or says they'd pay; all suggested fixes are free behavioral tactics.