Support

Need a hand with Rhythm & Focus? Email norielle.rubillar@gmail.com and I'll get back to you, usually within a couple of days.

Getting started

1. Open any Google Doc.
2. Go to Extensions → Rhythm & Focus → Open sidebar.
3. The first time, Google asks you to approve the add-on's permissions.
4. Click Highlight to colour your sentences, open the Echoes tab to see repeated words, or press Start to begin a focus session.

Common questions

How are sentences counted?

A sentence ends at a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis. Common abbreviations ("Mr.", "Dr.", "e.g.", "i.e."), initials, decimals and asides like "(!)" don't end a sentence. Headings are left out of the rhythm, but their words still count toward your totals.

What counts as a flat stretch?

Three or more sentences in a row, within the same paragraph, that fall in the same length band and are close in length. Captions and lines without closing punctuation break a stretch. You can turn the underline off in Settings.

How do I see one repeated word at a time?

In the Echoes tab, press Show only next to a word. Press it again to show every echo. To hide words that only repeat once or twice, raise "Show words echoed at least" in Settings.

Will Clear remove my own highlighting?

No. It only removes the colours the add-on applied. The one exception is if you've used exactly the same colour yourself.

How are daily words counted?

From the word count when you first open the add-on in a document each day. Words written in several documents add up toward your goal.

The timer didn't chime.

Browsers only allow sound after you've clicked inside the sidebar. Starting the timer counts. Check that "Chime when a session ends" is on in Settings. You can choose and preview a different chime for the end of focus sessions, short breaks and long breaks there too.

Can I change the colours or sentence bands?

Yes, in the sidebar's Settings tab. Click a colour to pick a new one, and use the Strength slider (also in the Rhythm and Echoes tabs) to make highlights lighter or brighter. Changes save and apply automatically.

How often do the stats update?

Automatically while the sidebar is open: it checks every few seconds and refreshes when your word count changes. Highlights in the document update when you press Highlight or Echoes, change a setting, or switch document tabs.

Does it work in other languages?

Mostly. It splits sentences on punctuation, so languages with similar punctuation to English work well.

Removing the add-on

Click Clear to remove highlights, then uninstall via Extensions → Add-ons → Manage add-ons, or remove access at myaccount.google.com/permissions.