Does your productivity need a boost? Do you find yourself constantly distracted at your job? Is a lack of focus diminishing the quality of your work? The following apps can help.
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RescueTime
If you want to become more productive, the first step you need to take is to measure and understand how you’re currently spending that time. That’s where the free app RescueTime comes in. RescueTime tracks how you spend your time online and sends you a weekly report of key details such as which websites you browse, and how long and how frequently you browse them. The reports can offer you helpful insight into where you are spending your time. For example, if you keep feeling like you get to the end of the workday without having accomplished much, RescueTime could reveal that this is happening because you spend an average of two hours a day on Facebook in 10-minute increments. (And if this is your situation, there’s no need to despair: RescueTime’s premium plan offers a solution by allowing you to block certain websites for optimal focus time.)
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Boomerang
Few things are more distracting than the notification sound or blinking light that alerts you to the fact that you’ve got a new email waiting for you. Rather than trying to resist the temptation to check your messages, you can remove the temptation altogether with Boomerang. With this plugin (for Gmail, Outlook, and Android), you can temporarily dismiss messages from your inbox, and schedule them to reappear at a set future time when you’ll be in a better position to deal with them. If you still need to send emails but don’t want to be distracted by receiving them, you can schedule outgoing messages to be automatically sent at designated times. This is a great tool for those times when you’re on a tight deadline.
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FocusWriter
If you want to go a step further in eliminating visual distractions while you’re working on your computer, check out FocusWriter. This basic word processing app displays a screen that is completely empty apart from your text (although you do have the option to include a subtle background) so you aren’t distracted by controls or menus or other visual clutter. The app has built-in spell-check and word-count functions so you don’t need separate controls, and also features a timer if you need a little extra help sticking to your schedule. Documents written in FocusWriter can be saved in a variety of formats, including RTF and industry-standard plain text.
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Shyft
This helpful to-do list tool is all about maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Shyft allows you to keep two lists, one for professional tasks and another for personal tasks, and you can quickly and easily navigate between them using swipe or 3D Touch gestures when you want to add, edit, complete, or defer tasks on either list. Reminders and interactive notifications help to ensure that nothing gets missed or falls through the cracks. This is a helpful app if you have difficulty compartmentalizing your work life and home life, or if you’re a student or freelance worker with an irregular schedule.
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FocusList
If you’ve already got a to-do list, but you need help putting it into action, FocusList is the app for you. FocusList helps you to plan your day by breaking down your tasks into a series of shorter, timed intervals (inspired by the “Pomodoro Technique,” an increasingly popular time management method that emphasizes short, focused periods of work with quick breaks in between). Once you start work on a task, FocusList displays a countdown timer. When the timer goes off, that’s your signal to take a short rest before getting back to work to keep your brain fresh and energized. FocusList also compiles data on how much time you spend on each task so that you can track your overall productivity over longer periods.
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InkFlow
Do you have trouble sticking to traditional, bulleted to-do lists because you’re more of a visual thinker? If so, you’ll want to give InkFlow a try. This app puts the power of doodling to work, allowing you to capture your ideas or tasks right on your screen, just as you would with a pen and paper, so that you can visualize your to-do list in a way that works best for you. Special bonus: studies have shown that doodling, far from being a distraction, can actually help you focus.
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Papier
Use this lightweight Chrome extension to bring up an interactive notebook whenever you click the default “New Tab” button. Jot down notes and paste interesting links from your browsing without having to move to a different program or app. There’s even support for functions such as creating headings, subheadings, and tick-box lists. And don’t worry about saving or syncing, as the extension automatically takes care of that every time you open a new tab. This is a great way to keep your browsing notes consolidated and easily accessible.
