focus with strangers
Hey HN, First time posting here. Go easy on me, haha. I made Focus with strangers, a site where you can do pomodoros alongside some random people online for a hit of social pressure. There's a simple todo list built in, and you can chat (or 'shout' as I like to call it) with other participants during the break. If you don't like the idea of interacting with randoms, you can send a link and work with your friends as well. No logins/accounts, free to use. Made using elixir + phoenix, hosted on fly. Any feedback would be welcome!
focus with strangers launched on October 30, 2025 with 10 votes, #1,488 of 8,178 launches that month and more than 50% of that year's launches.
What it does
Focus with strangers. Or friends. Create a room, set your timer, and get things done together.
focus with strangers. or friends. create a room, set a timer, and get things donefrom focuswithstrangers.com
Does a similar job
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I built an app for when I talk too much in online meetings2022 · unblah.me · ▲451Hey HN! Alexis here, I’m a product manager and software developer in Berlin by way of New York. I want to show you this app I made – It’s like a "buddy" for those, like myself, who inadvertedly talk too much in meetings. The app gives me feedback and a little more in control of what I have influence over by: * Keeping track of how long I’ve been speaking * Catching myself before I talk too much * Developing a better sense of timing I truly love having conversations with people in real-life. But online meetings, especially group calls, tend to make me nervous. I can't read body language. The…

- IMI made an app to help strangers pair up and check on each other2023 · wirotalk.com · ▲8
Hi HN ! I've struggled with anxiety for most of my life. But I was lucky to have a supporting family and friends. Not everyone has this chance. So I made Wiro Talk to help strangers pair up and check on each other. Check it out and tell me what you think. It's an mvp so yes it's using discord at the moment.

- ISI struggle to focus working from home so I built a solution2023 · ▲31
Hey HN friends, I keep getting distracted working from home and always end up watching youtube, browsing blogs like HN or just mindlessly scrolling then I feel like crap because I didn’t do enough. I went through dozens of productivity tools but they’re quite overwhelming to use and none of them actually helped me focus. So I built http://complish.ai, a web-based sidebar that helps me focus on one task at a time. I launched it last month and have over 3,000 users now and I’ll be keeping it free. Would love for you all to try and give some feedback!
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This is our entry in the "spontaneous event creation" ring. I'd love to hear what HN readers think!
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Source: Product Hunt launch ↗
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