Focus Blocks Review 2024: Best Flow State Tool?

Tony Robbins has famously said, “Where focus goes, energy flows.”

And if you’re like me, you are always looking for ways to get more focused, eliminate all these distractions, and be more productive. Thus, I’m always trying new methods and tools to see if they can help me get more done in less time.

This past year, I came across Focus Blocks, a tool created by my friend, Mani Vaya, the founder of 2000 Books. After using it for the past year, I have found it to be one of the best productivity tools I’ve ever used!

In this review, we will discuss Focus Blocks, how it works, and why it can help you be more productive—maybe even 10X your productivity!

Focus Blocks Pros & Cons

When considering this incredible productivity sessions on Zoom, it’s essential to weigh Focus Blocks’s pros and cons against your specific needs and preferences to make the right decision.

Focus Blocks Pros

• Helps you focus and be productive: Focus Blocks provides a structured environment that enables you to enter a state of deep work. By dedicating specific blocks of time to focused tasks, you can accomplish more in less time.
• Eliminates distractions: The silent, virtual co-working sessions minimize external interruptions, allowing you to concentrate on your work without the usual distractions of a typical office environment.
• Leverages the power of community: Even though it’s silent, the presence of others working alongside you can create a sense of accountability and motivation, helping you stay on track and avoid procrastination.
• Don’t need willpower or self-discipline: Focus Blocks takes the pressure off by providing a pre-set schedule and a supportive community. This can be particularly beneficial if you struggle with self-motivation.

Focus Blocks Cons

• Requires a recent computer that can run Zoom while working: To participate in the virtual co-working sessions, you’ll need a computer that can handle running Zoom simultaneously with your work applications. This shouldn’t be an issue for most modern computers, but it’s worth noting.
• Requires an internet connection to log onto the Zoom calls: As with any virtual tool, a stable internet connection is essential for a seamless experience. Ensure you have a reliable connection before starting your Focus Block session.
• May not be suitable for everyone: While the silent environment is ideal for many, some individuals might find that they work better with ambient noise or music. Consider your personal preferences before committing to this style of work.

Quick Verdict – Is Focus Blocks Worth the Money?

After countless hours immersed in Focus Blocks, I can confidently say yes, it’s absolutely worth the money!

Focus Blocks is your secret weapon for conquering distractions and unlocking a level of productivity you never thought possible. The structured sessions, silent virtual co-working environment, and sense of community create a powerful combination that propels you into a state of deep focus.

While the price may seem steep at first, consider it an investment in your most valuable asset—your time. The increased productivity and efficiency you’ll gain will more than makeup for the cost.

If you thrive in a bustling environment with background noise, the silent sessions might not be your cup of tea. However, Focus Blocks excels if you crave focus and the ability to block out distractions.

Don’t just take my word for it – experience the transformative power of Focus Blocks for yourself and see your productivity soar!

Who is Focus Blocks for?

You’ll love Focus Blocks if:

• You thrive in a structured environment: Focus Blocks provides the perfect framework if you find yourself most productive with a set schedule and dedicated blocks of time for different tasks.
• You crave a distraction-free workspace: If the constant pings, notifications, and interruptions of a typical workday leave you feeling scattered, the silent virtual co-working sessions in Focus Blocks will be a welcome change.
• You’re motivated by a sense of community: Even though it’s silent, the presence of others working alongside you can be surprisingly motivating. If you enjoy the feeling of being part of a team effort, Focus Blocks taps into that energy.

You won’t love Focus Blocks if:

• You prefer background noise or music while working: Focus Blocks might not be the best fit if you find silence distracting or uninspiring. Consider alternatives that allow for personalized audio preferences.
• You need flexibility in your work schedule: If your work demands frequent breaks or unpredictable shifts in focus, the structured nature of Focus Blocks could feel restrictive. Look for tools that offer more adaptability.
• You’re primarily working on collaborative projects: While Focus Blocks is excellent for individual deep work. However, it might not be ideal for tasks that require constant communication and interaction with others. Instead, explore tools designed for collaborative workflows.

What are Focus Blocks?

Focus Blocks are live, silent group sessions on Zoom that serve as virtual coworking spaces to help you create focus and accomplish more work in half the time. With Focus Blocks, you won’t need willpower or self-discipline to stay focused on your work.

What is the key benefit of having Focus Blocks?

The key benefit of Focus Blocks lies in its ability to effortlessly transport you into a state of deep focus and unwavering productivity. By creating a structured environment, minimizing distractions, and fostering a sense of community, Focus Blocks empowers you to achieve your goals with unparalleled efficiency.

How does Focus Blocks work?

Focus Blocks operates on a simple yet powerful principle: scheduled, silent, virtual co-working sessions. You sign up for a designated time slot and join a Zoom call, during which everyone works on their own tasks in silence.

The structured schedule and the presence of others create an atmosphere of accountability and focus, allowing you to enter a flow state and get your work done.

How is it different from competitors?

Unlike traditional productivity tools that rely on timers or task lists, Focus Blocks focuses on creating an optimal work environment. It leverages the power of community and accountability to help you stay on track, even when your motivation wavers. 

Additionally, the silent, virtual nature of the sessions eliminates the typical distractions of a busy office or coffee shop, allowing for deep, uninterrupted work.

Reasons I Recommend Focus Blocks to Everyone

#1) Effortless Deep Work

As a professional juggling multiple projects, staying focused can be challenging. Focus Blocks has transformed my workdays into havens of deep work.

The structured sessions and silent environment eliminate distractions, allowing me to immerse myself in my tasks fully. I consistently achieve more in a single Focus Block session than I used to in hours of scattered effort.

#2) The Power of Community

I was initially skeptical of the silent, virtual co-working aspect, but it’s surprisingly effective. Knowing that others are working alongside me, even without direct interaction, creates a powerful sense of accountability.

It’s like having a team of silent cheerleaders rooting for your success. This subtle yet effective motivation keeps me on track and helps me push through challenging tasks.

#3) Sustainable Productivity

Unlike other productivity methods that can feel forced or unsustainable, Focus Blocks has become a natural part of my workflow. The scheduled sessions provide a rhythm to my day, and the lack of distractions allows for genuine rest and rejuvenation between blocks. This balanced approach has not only boosted my productivity but also improved my overall well-being.

What You Might Not Like About Focus Blocks

#1) Lack of Flexibility

While beneficial for structure and routine, the scheduled nature of Focus Blocks can be a double-edged sword. If your work requires frequent breaks, unexpected interruptions, or spontaneous shifts in focus, the rigid timing of the sessions might feel restrictive.

Personally, I found myself needing to step away from my desk occasionally to stretch or grab a snack, but I felt constrained by the session’s schedule. Focus Blocks might not be the most adaptable solution if you value flexibility in your workday.

#2) Silence Can Be Overwhelming

While ideal for eliminating distractions, the silent environment can sometimes feel a bit too quiet. I found myself missing the subtle hum of background noise or the quiet chatter of a coffee shop. If you prefer a bit of ambient noise to stimulate creativity or focus, the complete silence might be a bit jarring.

I noticed that the silence amplified my self-consciousness, making me hyper-aware of every tap on my keyboard or rustle of paper. If you’re sensitive to silence or easily distracted by your own thoughts, consider whether this environment is conducive to your best work.

Focus Blocks Pricing

The pricing for Focus Blocks is not featured on the sales page. However, you can try It for seven days here.

Focus Blocks: Key Features Breakdown

In this section, we will review the essential features of Focus Blocks so you can get into a focus state to crush the work for your life or business.

Before The Focus Block Session

First, you choose the 1-hour, live Focus Blocks for when you want to accomplish your most important work during the day. You can schedule the date and time within the 2000 Book’s Member’s Area. If you need help getting organized at work, check out this blog post.

Next, during your scheduled work hours, preferably in a non-distracting location, you join your live Focus Block on the Zoom video platform. You simply have to show up, but you won’t be let in if you are late! You will be joining other ambitious individuals in the community to co-work together and get things done.

Focus Block Session

All Focus Blocks are an hour long and consist of three phases:

• 5-minute Focus Ritual, which is led by the Focus Guide to help you make commitments and kickstart the Focus Block 
• 50 minutes of Deep Work or uninterrupted focus time where you get to do your most important work while your Focus Guide tracks time
• 5-minute Recharge Ritual, which is led by the Focus Guide to review your progress and complete the hour

5-Minute Focus Ritual

There is a Trained Focus Guide that will begin each session with a simple routine to center your attention, help you feel energized, and get you into the flow states to be most productive. The guide starts the call by greeting everyone and discussing the idea behind Focus Blocks.

Then, the Focus Guide will ask you to commit to the work you intend to complete during the hour. Further, you can share it with the rest of the co-workers in the chat or by unmuting it temporarily. The guide spends the rest of the time conducting breathing exercises to relax everyone.

To best use the time, you should be in a quiet location, eliminate distractions, put your cell phone away, and turn off computer notifications. It is recommended that you choose your most important, but not urgent, work.

50-Minutes Of Deep Work

At about five minutes past the hour, the Focus Guide will officially start the session and track the time. This signals to you to minimize your Zoom window and begin to work on your one single commitment for the hour. Allow yourself to get lost in the block and get into the flow state.

Based on the book, Cal Newport, the Focus Block is a time period of Deep Work (book summary). The 50-minute period is enough time to work intensely and get a decent amount of stuff done without burning you out.

Also, everyone else will be on mute, so you will not be distracted by other co-workers. Further, you should keep your camera on because it helps you stay accountable, complete your best-quality work, and contribute to the community.

5-Minute Recharge Ritual

Eventually, the 50 minutes of deep work will end, and the Focus Guide will produce soothing sounds to notify everyone that the long periods are over.

You should determine if you finished what you set out to do and what you would do to change or improve. Accordingly, the guide invites everyone to share their progress on their commitments in the Zoom chat or by temporarily unmuting.

The Focus Guide concludes the session with relaxation exercises such as meditation, breathing, and stretching. The goal is to relax and recharge before continuing on to the following Focus Block or the rest of your day.

Focus Blocks Member’s Area

When you join Focus Blocks, you get access to the Member’s Area in Teachable, an online course hosting platform.

Scheduling Focus Blocks

The first section is titled, “Welcome – Schedule your Focus Blocks RIGHT NOW!” You can schedule Focus Blocks using the following methods:

• FB Zoom Link of the Month: This option gives you the monthly Zoom link to make your own events on your calendar.
• FB Scheduler: This option allows you to use a scheduling assistant on your calendar for a given time and date.
• Book Recurring Focus Blocks: This option allows you to book a recurring time for a given time and day of the week.

From Monday through Friday in any time zone, Focus Blocks is offered for the entire 24 hours. When using the scheduler, you first choose a time and date on the calendar and then get the following fields:

• Email: This field allows you to get email reminders and, if possible, have the current Focus Block sync with your email calendar so you show up.
• Do you understand that you will not be let into the Focus Block if you are late by over 1 minute?: This question is to acknowledge that if don’t come on time, you will be left out of the block.
• What 1 important thing will you work on during this focus block?: This question encourages you to pick a single important task to work on during the time period.
• Phone Number: This field lets you get text reminders, so don’t miss the block.

Guide To Getting The Most Out Of Focus Blocks

Next, the Member’s Area has a section called “How to get the MOST out of Focus Blocks.” It details the FOCUS acronym for the 5 Pillars:

• First Things First: In Eat That Frog (book summary), Brian Tracy recommends doing your most important, not urgent, task first. This action will give you a massive sense of accomplishment.
• Outcome-Based Thinking: Next, you should get radical clarity on your long-term vision and the outcomes for each Focus Block. These outcomes can be written as SMART Goals: specific, meaningful, actionable, relevant, and trackable.
• Community: Showing up every day will help you leverage the power of community as you can feel and use the energy of others to stay accountable and take action on your most important tasks.
• Uninterrupted Time: You should remove all distractions and manage the expectations of people in your world so you can do the best work in your everyday life. This includes putting your smartphone and watch away, turning off device notifications, and closing all irrelevant windows.
• Single Tasking: Work on only one task per hour, as multitasking, has been shown to decrease productivity by as much as 40%. I suggest having a notebook next to you to write down ideas, thoughts, or feelings that pop into your head during the Focus Block.

In the next video, “How to use Focus Blocks to Achieve Your Big Goals,” Mani Vaya provides five specific pieces of advice:

1. Create a recurring schedule and calendar appointment and stick to it.
2. Stack together multiple (3+) Focus Blocks to build attention momentum to increase your output.
3. The more Focus Blocks you do per work day, the more you will achieve in life.
4. Do your Focus Blocks as early in your day as possible, as the later you wait, the harder it becomes to focus.
5. After the focus blocks are over, enjoy your life by doing things that matter. The boundaries between work and play are critical.

Trained Focus Guide

Every period has a Focus Guide trained by 2000 Books. They facilitate the work block, keep the schedule, and help you stick to your commitments. However, guides only interact with everyone at the start and end of the deep work time, so there are no distractions.

Also, the Focus Guide tracks attendance data for the leaderboard to further motivate everyone to stick to the blocks every day!

High-Performance Accelerator Coaching Call

In addition to the weekly group call, you also get a weekly one-hour coaching call with Mani Vaya, the founder of Focus Blocks and 2000 Books. He is there as a resource to answer any questions you have regarding focus, productivity, and time management. The coaching call lets you share your focus challenges and receive actionable solutions.

Themed Blocks

Mike Vardy’s method of time theming or managing time using themes to help add some structure to our work. The program has several themed hours during the week to work on the following:

• Money Block: This block is a reminder to examine your finances, including bookkeeping, budgeting, expenses, and income for either your life or business
• To-Do List Block: This block is for administrative tasks, including checking email, emptying spam, exporting data, or managing life.
• Strategic Communications Block: This block allows one to communicate to grow one’s business or network, including making phone calls, setting appointments, and sending follow-up emails.
• Happy Hour: This block is for fun and focus-free time to celebrate the week’s accomplishments with fellow members of the community.

Review And Planning Sessions

The Focus Blocks program also comes with several review and planning bonus calls for every week, month, and quarter:

• Weekly Review and Planning: This twice-per-week session is for you to create weekly goals, review your progress, and plan your actions for the coming week.
• Monthly Review and Planning: This 2-Hour Call is for you to plan on your monthly priorities, review your progress, and plan your actions for the coming month.
• Quarterly Review and Planning: This 2-Hour Session is for you to determine your quarterly big rocks, review your progress, and plan your actions for the coming quarter.

FAQs about Focus Blocks

With everything that Focus Blocks offers, some common questions arise. Here are the answers to some of those frequently asked questions:

What Kind Of Work Do I Do In Focus Blocks?

The focus of Focus Blocks is to help you eliminate distractions, lock in laser focus, and supercharge your productivity. However, you can do any type of work that you need to do during the focus blocks, depending on your priorities, including:

• Your most important tasks
• Tasks that you have procrastinated on but require your attention 
• Your highest leverage tasks, which, when done, will free up time

How Many Focus Blocks Can I Attend On Any Given Day?

It is unlimited, as there is no limit to the number of Focus Blocks you can attend in a day. You can also choose to focus on one task for the entire day or switch tasks every hour.

If I Am A Procrastinator, Will Focus Blocks Help?

Certainly! It’s intended for people who frequently postpone. Focus Blocks require you to complete your most crucial work.

Once you have committed to a particular focus block, you are forced to show up and work. Additionally, the presence of others will encourage and empower you to get down to business on whatever you’ve been putting off.

Why Should I Co-Work With Strangers?

It’s simple. When you work with strangers, you can be the best version of yourself. There’s no baggage from your past, no judgment, and no feelings.

Everyone has a single mission: to get their most important stuff done! Surrounded by strangers, there is greater seriousness and more professionalism, and an increased level of professionalism is required.

Who Are Focus Blocks For?

Focus Blocks is for business owners, creatives, software developers, freelancers, executives, high performers, and knowledge workers of all backgrounds who use their intellect to create value in this world.

Who Is Focus Blocks NOT For?

Focus Blocks is not for people who work outside the typical office environment, including factory workers, farmers, manual laborers, or hands-on employees. It’s also not for those who demand less and want to accomplish the absolute minimum in their professions.

Final Verdict – to Buy Focus Blocks or Not to Buy Focus Blocks?

My verdict is a resounding Yes!

Focus Blocks delivers on its promise to supercharge your productivity and transform your work habits. If you’re seeking a structured environment, crave a distraction-free workspace, and thrive in a community setting, then Focus Blocks is an invaluable tool for you.

Throughout my experience, I’ve consistently witnessed Focus Blocks’ ability to enhance focus, eliminate distractions, and foster a sense of accountability. While the silent environment and rigid schedule might not suit everyone, the benefits far outweigh the minor drawbacks.

If you’re ready to ditch distractions and embrace a new level of productivity, please try Focus Blocks. It is worth your time, and the focus will pay off.

If you’re still hesitating or if Focus Blocks isn’t quite the right fit for you, don’t worry. There are other productivity tools out there that might better suit your needs.

Let’s explore some alternatives…

Focus Blocks Alternatives

If Focus Block’s price is too much for you to stomach right now or you need a different solution, you might like one of these alternatives.

#1) Sunsama

Sunsama offers a more comprehensive approach to productivity than Focus Blocks. It combines task management, calendar integration, and daily basis planning tools into a single platform. This makes it ideal for individuals who need more than just a focused work environment and want a tool to help them manage their entire workday.

However, it lacks the silent, virtual co-working aspect that sets Focus Blocks apart. So, if the community aspect and silent work sessions are your top priority, Sunsama might not be the perfect fit.

#2) Focusmate

Focusmate, like Focus Blocks, focuses on virtual co-working sessions. However, unlike Focus Blocks’ silent approach, Focusmate encourages brief conversations at the beginning and end of each session to share goals and progress. This can benefit those who find motivation and accountability in verbal communication.

On the downside, Focus Blocks is a better choice if you prefer complete silence and minimal interaction during your work sessions.

#3) Motion

Motion is an AI-powered calendar and project management tool that automatically schedules your tasks and meetings, optimizing your day for maximum productivity. It’s an excellent option for those who struggle with time management and need a tool to take the guesswork out of scheduling.

However, it doesn’t offer the virtual co-working element that Focus Blocks provides. So, if you’re looking for a sense of community and shared focus, you might find Motion lacking in that aspect.