Chisel: Stoic Focus

A focus timer in which your hours carve a marble statue · Last updated 9 October 2026

How it works

You write down what you intend to do, choose 25, 50 or 90 minutes, and start. While the session runs the stone comes off a block of marble a piece at a time. The first statue takes 90 minutes of focus and every statue after it takes four hours, carved across as many sessions as you like. Finished statues stand in a courtyard you can scroll back through.

What makes it different from other focus timers

• Nothing is punished. There are no streaks to break and nothing dies if you stop. Quitting early keeps every minute you actually carved.
• Progress cannot be bought. Every marble and every philosopher is earned with hours. No amount of money unlocks one.
• Getting past the block costs something real. Opening an app you blocked takes two minutes off the statue, and you watch the marble go back onto the stone.
• Every quotation is real and cited. Each statue carries a line from a surviving text with its book and section.

What is Chisel?

Chisel is a focus timer for iPhone. While a focus session runs, a block of marble is carved into a bust of a Stoic philosopher, so the hours you spend concentrating turn into an object you can see. Finished statues stand in a courtyard you can scroll through.

How long does one statue take?

The first statue takes 90 minutes of focus. Every statue after that takes 240 minutes, which is four hours. Statues are carved across as many sessions as you like; the stone keeps the progress between them.

Is Chisel free?

Yes. The timer, the carving, all twenty-four marbles, every philosopher, the courtyard, the evening review, the Live Activity and the shareable statue cards are free and have no ads. Chisel Pro is an optional subscription whose only job is app blocking beyond one app, plus the full weekly letter and its archive.

What does Chisel Pro cost?

Chisel Pro is 5.99 US dollars a month, or 34.99 a year with a seven day free trial. A one-off lifetime purchase is offered during the launch window at 79.99. Prices are set per country by the App Store.

Can Chisel block distracting apps?

Yes. Chisel uses Apple's Screen Time framework to hold chosen apps shut while a focus session runs. Chisel Free guards one app. Chisel Pro guards any number of apps, whole categories and websites.

What happens if I open a blocked app anyway?

You can always get through. Choosing to go in anyway costs two minutes of carving, which is taken off the statue, and you watch the marble return onto the stone. The app then stays open for the rest of the session. A discipline session is the exception and has no way through, which is what makes it discipline.

Does Chisel punish you for stopping early?

No. There are no streaks, no broken chains and nothing is taken away. Quitting a session early keeps every minute you actually carved. The stone simply stops where it stopped.

Can I buy marble or philosophers?

No, and this is deliberate. Every marble and every philosopher is earned with hours of focus and none of them can be bought at any price. Chisel Pro buys app blocking and the letters, never progress.

Which philosophers and marbles are in Chisel?

Six philosophers: Zeno of Citium, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Musonius Rufus and Cleanthes. Four marbles: Carrara, Pentelic, Nero Marquina and Verde antico. Each philosopher can be carved in each marble, which is twenty-four statues.

Are the Stoic quotes in Chisel real?

Yes. Every quotation is from a real surviving text and carries its citation by book and section, checked against source translations rather than recalled. Nothing is attributed to a philosopher who did not write it.

What are Letters from the Stoa?

One letter a week, written in the manner of Seneca's letters to Lucilius, the same letter for every reader. Anyone can read the opening of the current letter for free. Chisel Pro opens the whole letter and the archive of past ones.

What is the evening review?

A nightly page built on the three questions Seneca describes asking himself after the lamp was out: what did you do badly, what did you do well, and what did you leave undone. It states and never grades, and it counts nothing.

Does Chisel collect my data?

No. Chisel has no account, no sign in and no analytics, and collects no personal data. Your carved hours and statues are kept on your device and mirrored to your own iCloud so they survive a reinstall, which means they go to Apple and never to us.

Which devices does Chisel run on?

iPhone only, in portrait, running iOS 18.6 or later. There is no iPad, Mac, Android or web version.

Who is Chisel for?

People who want long periods of uninterrupted concentration and have found that streaks and punishment do not help them. It suits studying, writing, deep work and revision, and it is deliberately unsuitable for anyone who wants their phone to nag them.