We live in a world full of distractions. In this way, tech has been a huge problem for many people in the workplace and at home. Technological advances have made our lives easier, by streamlining many of our processes in all aspects of our lives.
One of the biggest advantages of the advances in tech is that we can not multitask and also keep ourselves entertained while we aren’t focusing hard on our work. However, many people will argue that things like their laptops and their smartphones are the biggest distractions in their lives, often tempting them out of a productive workflow.
But, it doesn’t have to be this way, and you can actually use this technology to your advantage if you know which apps to download. There are many companies of developers who are working overtime to alleviate this problem of being overly distracted, by creating apps to help people remain focused over a long period of time. Let’s look at a few apps that will help you stay focused and boost your productivity levels.
What Is A Focus App?
Before getting into the list let’s understand what we’re looking at in terms of applications. In general an app that boosts focus is one that can easily cut out distractions and also help you produce the most you possibly can in a sustained period of time.
This means that the app must be able to block out other unproductive apps or websites and make them impossible to access so that you can solely focus on exactly what you need to focus on.
Furthermore, an app that can provide you with methods and techniques to increase your productivity also adds to its ability to help keep you focused. Let’s get on the list.
Freedom
Freedom is one of the best multi-device distraction-blocking apps. What this means is that it applies cross-platform and doesn’t only block distractions on the device that you’re currently using. Instead, once you download Freedom on a number of your devices, it will help you remain focused by linking your accounts and ensuring that you don’t just switch devices when you want an unearned break from your work.
People underestimate the power that having a multi-device distraction-blocking app can have in terms of your output and general productivity. This is because oftentimes people will be working on their laptop, ensuring that distracting websites like YouTube and Netflix are blocked, but will then proceed to visit their numerous social media apps on their smartphones or enjoy a great game or two of online roulette. The best way to get rid of this temptation and to save the fun for later is by having uniformity in terms of distraction blocking across all of your devices, for a set period of time. Freedom provides exactly that service.
Cold Turkey Blocker
Cold Turkey Blocker has been voted as one of the most effective distraction-blocking apps on the market right now due to its ability to completely stop you from visiting unproductive sites or applications while completing a set of work. This app will help you complete your projects in the best way possible by not only blocking harmful and unproductive apps but also allowing you to set and follow a timer that will help up your own production levels.
Implementing something like the Pomodoro technique will allow you to stay laser-focused while completing a 20-minute round of work and then unblocking your apps for 5 minutes while you rest, just before starting your next round of work. Of course, this is not the only technique on offer from Cold Turkey Blocker, but just of the many effective methods that this app employs to bring the most out of the times that you actually feel focused and ready to work.
LeechBlock NG
Leechblock is different from the other productivity-boosting and distraction management apps on this list as it focuses particularly on cutting out unproductive sites in a browser. The app is compatible with Opera, Google Chrome, Firefox, and more popular browsers, and can simply be installed as an extension that will help you remain focused while working on your laptop or computer.
Many people nowadays work in an online format or need to connect to the internet or perform routine browser searches in order to complete their work. All of us also know that an internet browser is simply a gateway to all of the human knowledge, as well as all of the distractions one could ever hope for.
From video streaming sites like YouTube to popular movie and TV streaming sites like Netflix, the options are truly endless when it comes to keeping yourself busy on a browser. Leechblock is a great way to keep these unproductive sites to a minimum and is perhaps best employed by companies who want to keep their workforce focused during the day.