# Monitor rule or Focus Filter for your work layout?

Choose a display rule when connection describes the activity, and a Focus Filter when your intent is a better signal than the hardware setup.

By [Rudra Satani](https://cubbypad.com/about/), maker of CubbyPad · 26 October 2026

## Pick the condition that actually means work

Connecting one particular desk monitor can be a reliable sign that you are working. If you use that screen for personal projects too, its presence is a less reliable description of intent. A manually selected work Focus may distinguish the activity more accurately.

## Know how the choices can overlap

A CubbyPad Focus Filter takes priority over ordinary automatic rules. Among matching rules, display conditions are preferred over ordinary time conditions. Check those conditions before assuming a manual selection failed to save.

Do not add all available automations simply because the controls exist. One condition that you understand is easier to predict than three conditions that often overlap.

## Set window location separately

A display rule chooses the layout. Opening › Display chooses where the grid appears. You can therefore have the correct Work arrangement on an unexpected screen if you configured only one of those settings. Test with the pointer on a second display.

## Try both entry and exit

1. Select the layout manually first.

1. Add the condition that best represents your routine.

1. Test entering and leaving the condition.

1. Inspect other active rules only if the outcome is ambiguous.

Published by CubbyPad’s maker. See [about CubbyPad](https://cubbypad.com/about/) for the author and product details. For corrections, [get in touch](https://cubbypad.com/contact/).

## Put it into practice.

[Guide

### Set up layouts, Focus and iCloud sync

Keep separate app arrangements, pair them with a Focus, and share them through your own iCloud Drive.

Read guide ↗](https://cubbypad.com/guides/layouts/)[Guide

### Choose how to open the app grid

Set up the keyboard shortcut, F4, a three-finger pinch, a hot corner, or the Dock and menu bar icons.

Read guide ↗](https://cubbypad.com/guides/opening/)

## More on layouts and workflows.

[### Schedule a weekday or weekend app arrangement

Use a chosen set of days and hours to bring forward a layout when your routine follows a stable schedule.

Read article ↗](https://cubbypad.com/blog/weekday-weekend-app-layout-schedule/)[### When manual layout switching is the clearer choice

A direct layout selection can be more predictable than a rule when your activities do not consistently match a time, monitor or Focus.

Read article ↗](https://cubbypad.com/blog/manual-layout-switching-vs-automation/)[### Remember your place or always open page one?

CubbyPad offers Where I Left Off, The Same Page and The First Page, plus an optional delay before returning to the start.

Read article ↗](https://cubbypad.com/blog/remember-last-page-or-first-page-launcher/)

## Make room for your apps.

Every feature. One-time purchase. Made for macOS 26.

[Find your plan](https://cubbypad.com/pricing/)

Source: https://cubbypad.com/blog/display-rule-vs-focus-filter/