Locu vs Sessions: When Pretty Pomodoros Aren't Enough

Sessions is one of the most beautiful Pomodoro apps available. Clean design, pleasant sounds, simple task tracking. It's perfect for people who want a focused timer with minimal features.

But a timer alone doesn't create sustainable execution.

Locu takes the session-based work philosophy and builds a complete daily system around it: flexible brain-optimal sessions (not rigid 25-min intervals), deep task management, automatic time tracking, and engineering integrations.

If Sessions gives you a timer, Locu gives you an execution system.

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Why Engineers Need More Than Pomodoro

25 Minutes Is Too Short for Deep Work

Sessions follows classic Pomodoro: 25 minutes work, 5 minutes break. This works great for shallow tasks or studying. But engineering deep work—debugging, architecture, complex implementation—often needs 60-90 minutes of uninterrupted flow.

Getting interrupted every 25 minutes by a break reminder breaks flow state, not enhances it. You're just getting deep into a problem when the timer tells you to stop.

Locu's approach: Brain-optimal 60-minute sessions (customizable 45-90 minutes). Based on research showing humans can maintain deep focus for this duration before needing recovery. Work until natural wrap-up point, not arbitrary timer cutoff.

No Task Management

Sessions has basic task tracking—you can add a task name to a Pomodoro session. But there's no prioritization, no task context, no notes, no breakdown for complex work. It's a timer with a label field, not task management.

Locu's approach: Full task management built in. Today/Sooner/Later prioritization, rich notes per task, task breakdown for complex work, full context visible during focus sessions. Everything in one place—no switching to Jira or Notion mid-session.

Time Tracking Is Session-Only

Sessions tracks how many Pomodoros you completed, but not detailed time per task. For freelancers who need billable hours or engineers wanting accurate execution metrics, this isn't enough. You know you did "6 Pomodoros today" but not precisely what you worked on for how long.

Locu's approach: Precise time tracking per task. Sessions capture exactly what you worked on and for how long. Export client-ready timesheets showing task details, time, notes. Know exactly: "Bug fix took 2.5 hours, feature implementation took 4 hours."

No Integration with Engineering Tools

Sessions is standalone—no Jira, no Linear, no Slack, no Calendar. You manage tasks in Sessions separately from your actual work tools. More tool switching, more context switching, more mental overhead.

Locu's approach: Deep engineering integrations. Jira and Linear tasks auto-sync. Slack sets DND during focus. Calendar shows upcoming meetings. Your execution workspace connects to your actual work stack.

Missing Work History & Insights

Sessions shows daily/weekly Pomodoro counts, but that's it. No rich work history, no task-based timeline, no focused vs unfocused analysis. You know you "did 30 Pomodoros this week" but not what you actually shipped or how efficiently.

Locu's approach: Complete work history showing what you worked on, when, for how long. Focused vs unfocused time reveals execution quality. Session patterns show your productive rhythms. Insights enable improvement.

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Feature Comparison

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When to Choose Sessions

✅ You love classic Pomodoro technique (25-min work, 5-min break)
✅ Your work fits into short, discrete chunks
✅ You don't need task management or planning features
✅ You prefer ultra-minimal timer-only interface
✅ You don't need time tracking for clients or insights
✅ Budget is critical ($5/month is very affordable)

Sessions excels as a beautiful, simple Pomodoro timer.

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When to Choose Locu

✅ You need deep focus periods (60+ minutes, not 25)
✅ Your work is complex and needs full task context
✅ You want complete daily execution system (Plan → Focus → Shutdown)
✅ You need time tracking for billing or personal insights
✅ You work in Jira/Linear and need integration
✅ You want work history showing what you actually shipped
✅ You're willing to pay $6-12/month for complete system

Locu provides structured execution, not just a timer.

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The Real Difference: Philosophy

Sessions' philosophy: Follow classic Pomodoro. 25 minutes work, 5 minutes break, repeat. Simple timer, minimal features.

Locu's philosophy: Work in brain-optimal sessions. Flexible length respecting flow. Complete daily system: Plan → Focus → Shutdown.

The key difference:

• Sessions enforces rigid Pomodoro intervals (good for some work types)
• Locu provides flexible focus structure (better for engineering deep work)

If you're doing shallow task work—email, admin, quick tasks—Pomodoro's short intervals work well. If you're doing deep engineering work—debugging complex systems, architecting solutions, implementing features—you need longer uninterrupted periods.

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Switching from Sessions

What you'll keep:

• Session-based work rhythm
• Regular break discipline
• Focus timer during work
• Clean, minimal interface philosophy

What you'll change:

• From 25-min rigid → 60-min flexible sessions
• From timer-only → complete execution system
• From session count → actual work history
• From standalone → integrated with work tools

What you'll gain:

• Daily planning ritual (start with clarity)
• Full task management (context visible during focus)
• Time tracking (know exactly what took how long)
• Jira/Linear/Slack/Calendar integrations
• Work history and insights
• Daily shutdown ritual (end with closure)

Migration process:

1. Keep your Pomodoro habit, just extend sessions to 60 minutes
2. Import or sync tasks from Jira/Linear (or add manually)
3. First morning planning (5 minutes to prioritize)
4. First focus session (experience longer deep work)
5. First evening shutdown (see what you shipped)

Setup time: 15 minutes
Learning curve: 1-2 days (concepts are familiar, just expanded)

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Pricing Comparison

Sessions: $5/month
Locu: $12/month or $6/month (Beta discount)

The value difference:

Sessions at $5/month: Beautiful Pomodoro timer + basic task labels
Locu at $6/month (Beta): Everything above + full task management + time tracking + work history + integrations + planning/shutdown rituals

If you're also running:

• Toggl for time tracking: $10-20/month
• Jira/Linear for task management: (already have)
• Notion for task notes: $10/month or (already have)
• Total with Sessions: $25-40/month

Replace all with Locu: $12/month ($6 with Beta)
Savings: $13-34/month ($156-408/year)

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For Freelancers Specifically

Sessions' limitation: Pomodoro count doesn't help with invoicing. "I did 24 Pomodoros on Client A" doesn't convert to billable hours easily. Still need to track time separately with Toggl.

Locu's advantage:

• 60-minute sessions = cleaner billing units (1 session ≈ 1 billable hour)
• Precise time tracking per task (know exactly: 2.3 hours on Bug Fix #1234)
• Export invoice-ready timesheets (time + task details + notes)
• Better focus → higher quality work → happier clients

The math: Sessions ($5) + Toggl ($10-20) = $15-25/month for incomplete solution. Locu Beta ($6) = complete execution + billing system.

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The Science: Why 60-Minute Sessions

Research on cognitive performance shows:

• Flow state takes 15-20 minutes to enter (Pomodoro interrupts just as you get there)
• Deep focus can sustain 45-90 minutes before fatigue (Pomodoro forces breaks too early)
• Context switching costs 15-25 minutes recovery (frequent breaks = more switching cost)

For engineering work specifically:

• Loading problem context into working memory: 15-20 minutes
• Making meaningful progress: 20-40 minutes
• Wrapping up cleanly: 5-10 minutes
• Total: 45-70 minutes needed for effective deep work session

Sessions' 25-minute Pomodoro was designed for studying and shallow task work. Locu's 60-minute sessions match the science of engineering deep work.

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The Honest Assessment

If you love classic Pomodoro and your work fits 25-minute chunks, Sessions is beautiful and affordable at $5/month.

But if you're an engineer or maker doing complex deep work, you likely need:

• Longer focus periods (to actually get deep into problems)
• Task management (to stay organized and maintain context)
• Time tracking (to bill clients or understand your patterns)
• Integration with actual work tools (Jira, Linear, Slack)

Sessions gives you 1 out of 4. Locu gives you all 4, in one integrated system, for just $1 more per month (with Beta discount) than Sessions alone.

Sessions is a beautiful timer. Locu is a complete execution system.

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