This app is based on the principles of the Pomodoro Technique, a time management system that challenges you to focus on a single task for 25 minutes and then give yourself a 5-minute break. FocusBooster – Focus on single tasks for 25 minutes apiece. (More nerdy details here.) For Macs only. This seems like a little thing, but it really makes life so much easier. Notational Velocity organizes all of your notes on your desktop in a centralized, searchable location and syncs with Simplenote or WriteRoom on your iPhone. Before Notational Velocity, I would write some notes on paper, some on text files on my desktop, some on my iPhone notes app when on the go. If you’re anything like me, one primarily challenge for focusing is getting all your notes in one place. Notational Velocity – Centralize and sync all of your scattered notes. There’s also a handy “concentration” timer. Then, when I want to concentrate on “Social Media Management,” I can customize a completely different set of actions to happen relevant to that activity. When I activate “Writing,” the app automatically closes my email client and Internet Browser blocks me from Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube launches Microsoft Word and sets my instant messaging status to “away”. Concentrate lets me configure a different set of tools for each task. I have a variety of recurring tasks that require different tools: 1) Writing, 2) Social Media Management, 3) Event Planning. Concentrate – Maximize focus while shifting between different tasks.Ĭoncentrate is great for shifting between tasks that require different mindsets.
Its most effective use is as a sort of wake-up call: If your daily timeline shows you shifting between apps and tasks every 2 minutes or less, you know there’s a problem. This good-looking app tracks everything you do on your computer, spitting back out a sort of “attention audit.” How much time are you spending in Firefox? How many hours a day in your email client? What are listening to on iTunes? If you let TrackTime run in the background, it builds these patterns into a lovely rainbow-colored timeline of your online life. TrackTime – Audit how you’re spending your time on your computer. So, rather than completely disabling the entire Internet, you can selectively decide which sites are OK, or not OK, to visit during your focus period. Before you have heart palpitations, know that you can whitelist or blacklist certain sites. No amount of browser restarts or computer reboots will stop it.
STAY FOCUSED APP EXCEED 1 HOUR OFFLINE
Set it for 4 hours, for instance, and your browser will behave as if it’s offline for that period of time. If you find yourself slipping into a Twitter sinkhole when you should be updating your business plan, Self-Control may be the app you need. Self-Control – Block out distracting websites for a set amount of time. With this in mind, I’ve rounded up a handful of the best apps for fighting back against the constant distractions of our digital lives. With a tidal wave of information coming at us daily, focus is rapidly becoming the scarcest commodity of the 21st century.
Summing the research, the New York Times wrote, “Whatever people were doing, whether it was having sex or reading or shopping, they tended to be happier if they focused on the activity instead of thinking about something else.” In short, being mentally “present” and focused on the task at hand really does matter – quite a lot, in fact. recent happiness study from Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert found that the more our minds wander, the less happy we are. What is the ideal sleeping temperature for my bedroom?(2018).fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much Spilling the beans: How much caffeine is too much? (2018).blog/get-smart-about-your-goals-this-strategy-can-help-you-stay-focused-and-on-track-at-any-age-2017090112113 Get SMART about your goals to stay focused and on track at any age. Getting more done: Strategies to increase scholarly productivity. Is caffeine a cognitive enhancer? /pubmed/20182035 healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/3-simple-strategies-to-help-you-focus-and-de-stress/art-20390057 3 simple strategies to help you focus and de-stress. cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html mind-and-mood/foods-linked-to-better-brainpower You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations.