I built a focus timer that lives at the edge of your Mac screen. Here is the thinking behind it

Today I launched Focus Buddy by SidePerch, and I want to properly introduce it to this community, because the whole product came from one small realization.

My focus sessions never failed because the timer was bad. They failed because the timer was invisible. It lived in a tab behind thirty other tabs, and out of sight meant out of mind. So Focus Buddy lives where you cannot lose it: a small floating widget docked to the edge of your screen. The countdown sits in the corner of your eye while you work. Click it and it expands into a full focus card. Click away and it folds back. That is the core idea, and everything else grew around it.

Start a Pomodoro, a Flowmodoro, or your own intervals in one click. While you work, it plays rain, ocean or wind that is synthesized live on your Mac, which means the sound never loops, never repeats a pattern, and never needs internet. You can even hear the exact engine running in your browser on the website before paying anything. Your Spotify or Apple Music is controllable right from the card, so you never leave the session to skip a song.

Then it makes the habit stick. There is a daily goal, a streak you will not want to break, and an insights dashboard that eventually tells you the truth about yourself. Mine showed me I am useless after 9pm, and that one chart changed how I plan my days. When you finish a deep session, one tap drops your stats onto a photo so you can post your focus like a run recap. Hours, sessions, streak. Proof of work, made beautiful.

Two principles I refused to bend on. First, privacy by architecture: no account, no cloud, no tracking, your data stays in plain files on your Mac. Second, honest pricing: $15 once and it is yours forever on up to 3 Macs, or $3 monthly if you want to test it first, with 14 day refunds either way. The code PHLAUNCH gives 20% off today.

It is live now at sideperch.com/focusbuddy and on the launch page here. I am a solo builder and this is my first launch, so I would love to hear what this community thinks: what would make a tool like this a daily habit for you, and what would stop you from using it? I will answer everything.