Most interruptions during a focus session do not need your full attention right now — they need 30 seconds of capture and a plan to deal with them later. Here is how to handle both cases.

If it can wait: use Quick Capture and carry on

If something comes in that needs to be dealt with but not right now, press Option Space, type the task, press Enter. That is Quick Capture — it works from anywhere on your Mac without leaving Focus Mode. The task goes into your inbox. Deal with it at your next planning moment.

If it genuinely cannot wait: deal with it and come straight back

Press Escape to leave Focus Mode. Deal with the urgent thing. When you come back, press Tab to re-enter Focus Mode. Aftertone will show you the task you were working on. If the interruption took longer than expected, go back to the Calendar view first and drag any affected time blocks to a new time.

Always reschedule a displaced task immediately

⚠️ Note — Never leave a task floating without a new time after an interruption. An unscheduled task you intended to do today is easy to forget. Reschedule it immediately, even if only to tomorrow morning.

Reducing interruptions before they happen

Turn on Do Not Disturb during your most important focus blocks and set expectations with your team about when you are available.

If the same interruption keeps happening, give it its own time block

If the same type of interruption breaks your focus sessions regularly, consider whether it needs its own time block. A 30-minute block at 11am for responding to messages is better than having messages interrupt your work throughout the morning.

👉 Try it now — The next time something comes in while you are in a focus session, use Option Space to capture it and carry on. Do not stop unless it genuinely cannot wait.