✦ Explained

What is a Focus Score?

A complete explanation of the 0–100 attention quality metric that FocusScore computes from your online behaviour — and what it means for your cognitive performance.

Direct answer: A Focus Score is a number from 0 to 100 that measures how focused vs. distracted your online behaviour is. It is calculated in real time from five behavioural signals — watch time, Shorts consumption, tab switching, scroll speed, and idle time. A score above 80 means peak, intentional browsing; below 40 means the algorithm has captured your attention.
Score Ranges

What each Focus Score range means

The Focus Score ranges from 0 (maximum distraction) to 100 (peak focus). Here is what each range means for your attention quality.

80–100
Excellent
Peak Focus
Intentional, long-form browsing. Rare tab switching. Low Shorts ratio. Cognitive resources fully available for deep work.
60–79
Good
Focused
Mostly on-task with minor distraction spikes. Occasional Shorts or tab switching that doesn't derail the session.
40–59
OK
Developing
Mixed signals. About half your time is focused, half is scattered. Noticeable Shorts habit. Common for new users.
20–39
Needs work
Scattered
Frequent context switching and Shorts consumption. Attention is captured by the algorithm more than directed by intent.
0–19
High distraction
Distracted
Algorithmic content loop. Very high Shorts ratio or extreme tab-switching. Attention needs an intervention.
Methodology

How is the Focus Score calculated?

The score is a weighted combination of five behavioural signals, each normalised per session so a 20-minute and a 3-hour session produce comparable scores.

SignalWeightEffect
Long-form watch time
Watching 10+ minute videos is the strongest positive signal.
35%
↑ Score
Shorts consumption ratio
High Shorts / Reels percentage rapidly lowers your score.
30%
↓ Score
Tab-switching frequency
Leaving and returning to pages breaks focus sessions.
20%
↓ Score
Scroll speed
Rapid feed-scrolling indicates passive, non-selective consumption.
10%
↓ Score
Idle-to-active ratio
Contextual signal — short idle breaks are natural and healthy.
5%
Neutral
Why these five? These signals are derived from attention research showing that sustained engagement, minimal context-switching, and intentional content selection are the strongest predictors of effective cognitive performance online. Shorts / Reels trigger dopaminergic reward loops that make it physiologically difficult to maintain focus — hence their 30% weight.
The case for measurement

Why measure attention instead of just blocking it?

🚧

Blockers treat the symptom

Content blockers prevent access to distracting sites but don't explain why you lose focus, don't personalise to your patterns, and create a willpower-based relationship with technology.

📊

Scores change behaviour

Seeing a number drop when you watch Shorts creates immediate feedback. Research shows quantified self-awareness produces lasting behavioural change — more reliably than restriction alone.

💡

You learn your patterns

FocusScore shows exactly which platform, time of day, and content type costs you focus. That insight lets you make smarter decisions — not just follow blanket rules.

📈

You see improvement

A rising Focus Score over weeks is concrete evidence of progress. Blockers can't show you that. Before/after data is the most motivating outcome in behaviour change research.

Questions about Focus Score

A Focus Score is a number from 0 to 100 that measures the quality of your attention online. FocusScore computes it from your behaviour on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms — analysing watch time, Shorts consumption, tab-switching, scroll speed, and idle time. A higher score means more sustained, intentional browsing.

Yes. A higher score reflects more sustained, intentional attention. A lower score reflects fragmented, distracted usage with a high Shorts / Reels ratio and frequent tab switching. Watching the trend week-over-week matters more than any single number.

80+ is excellent (peak focus, mostly intentional long-form content). 60–79 is good (some distraction spikes but mostly on-task). 40–59 is developing. Below 40 signals frequent distraction patterns that significantly reduce cognitive performance.

No. FocusScore uses anonymous behavioural signals tied to a random pseudonymous ID. It does not store page content, keystrokes, or your browsing history.

Blockers and timers only restrict you — they don't tell you WHY you lose focus or whether you are actually improving. A Focus Score makes attention visible and measurable, so you can see patterns and improve deliberately over time.

Every 3 seconds, using a rolling window of your last 200 browser events. This means the score reflects your recent behaviour and responds quickly to changes — if you stop watching Shorts and switch to long-form content, your score will start rising within minutes.