// THE VERGE — MOBILE & WEB
Firefox’s new home page widgets are helping me focus
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The browser’s new tabs can have a built-in checklist and customizable focus timer.
The browser’s new tabs can have a built-in checklist and customizable focus timer.
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I launched Firefox this morning to find some new blocks on my home page. The widgets that are currently rolling out add sports scores, time zones, a focus timer, and a checklist, which are already some of my favorite new Firefox features in years. I usually have Focus Friend open on my phone when I need a focus timer, and I use Google Tasks for my checklists. Now I can check in with similar tools every time I open a new Firefox tab instead.
My phone’s homescreen is full of useful widgets, so it’s a nice addition to have the timer and checklist pop up on my browser — they add some extra functionality and blend in tools I was already using elsewhere. The timer is minimal, but having it on the home page is a good balance for me between having it out of sight so it’s not distracting, but not so buried that I forget about it.
You can add or remove any of the widgets from the home page customization tab, and there’s a toggle to expand them. The timer is preset to 25/5 Pomodoro-style intervals, with a 25-minute focus mode and a 5-minute break mode, but you can adjust both. There’s also an optional notification for when the timer ends.