Living a distraction free finals week
Many people struggle with being able to sit down and do homework, study, or do projects. They get distracted by Facebook, or their phone, or whatever else is around them. If they could just sit down and concentrate fully they would have more than enough time for what needs done and all the fun other things that are being the distractions. One solution to this problem comes from an unlikely place and that is what distracts us all the most...apps.
One such app is Focus Booster. It uses the pomodoro technique of short bursts (25 minutes) of interrupted work, with short breaks between bursts. It is mostly just a timer that tells you when to take a break and when to start working again. It also automatically makes timesheets that track when you worked and also allows for manually entry if you didn't use the app when you worked.
30/30 is another app that has a similar goal. It is built off the concept that 30 minutes of hard work with a 30 minutes of unrelated stuff afterwards is best for you. But this app will also let you change those numbers to better fit your needs. It also lets you put in a bunch of different tasks along with when you want to do them and how long you want to work on them for. The app will then alert you when you should be doing something. It has a very simple interface so you can always look at it and immediately see what you are supposed to be doing and how much longer you have left to finish it.
Focus Locker is another approach to the problem of distractions. It is an app that will lock you out of other potentially distracting apps. You can tell it exactly what apps you want it to lock you out of and for how long. So if you have a sudden desire to look up function pictures from last weekend you can lock yourself out of your Facebook for 30 minutes while you study for an upcoming final.
Self-Control is another app that is similar to Focus Locker but for browsers. You can whitelist or blacklist certain websites for a specific period of time and no matter what you try (restarting the browser, restarting the computer, etc) you cannot access those sites.
Tracktime doesn't change your behavior in any way, but it does show you how you spend your time on your computer. It will break things down into categories like how much time you spend on social media, how much time you spend watching cat videos, and how much time you actually spend researching for papers or submitting job applications. While it won't stop you from continuing your previous time habits, it can show you how much time you really spend and that may just be enough to motivate you to use your time more effectively.
Timeout is an app that helps with a different problem. It defaults to taking a 10 minute break every hour and a 15 second break every 15 minutes. These time lengths can be changed be the user. During a break the screen will slowly fade and be replaced by a break theme. The longer break is to encourage you to get up and move around and the 15 second break is to help with eyestrain from looking at a computer screen for too long. These breaks are more to help with your health than with your productivity, but taking consistent breaks may just help with productivity as well.
Well whether you decide to give any of these apps a try or not I wish you the best of luck on your upcoming finals and I hope that you have a wonderful summer!
One such app is Focus Booster. It uses the pomodoro technique of short bursts (25 minutes) of interrupted work, with short breaks between bursts. It is mostly just a timer that tells you when to take a break and when to start working again. It also automatically makes timesheets that track when you worked and also allows for manually entry if you didn't use the app when you worked.
30/30 is another app that has a similar goal. It is built off the concept that 30 minutes of hard work with a 30 minutes of unrelated stuff afterwards is best for you. But this app will also let you change those numbers to better fit your needs. It also lets you put in a bunch of different tasks along with when you want to do them and how long you want to work on them for. The app will then alert you when you should be doing something. It has a very simple interface so you can always look at it and immediately see what you are supposed to be doing and how much longer you have left to finish it.
Focus Locker is another approach to the problem of distractions. It is an app that will lock you out of other potentially distracting apps. You can tell it exactly what apps you want it to lock you out of and for how long. So if you have a sudden desire to look up function pictures from last weekend you can lock yourself out of your Facebook for 30 minutes while you study for an upcoming final.
Self-Control is another app that is similar to Focus Locker but for browsers. You can whitelist or blacklist certain websites for a specific period of time and no matter what you try (restarting the browser, restarting the computer, etc) you cannot access those sites.
Tracktime doesn't change your behavior in any way, but it does show you how you spend your time on your computer. It will break things down into categories like how much time you spend on social media, how much time you spend watching cat videos, and how much time you actually spend researching for papers or submitting job applications. While it won't stop you from continuing your previous time habits, it can show you how much time you really spend and that may just be enough to motivate you to use your time more effectively.
Timeout is an app that helps with a different problem. It defaults to taking a 10 minute break every hour and a 15 second break every 15 minutes. These time lengths can be changed be the user. During a break the screen will slowly fade and be replaced by a break theme. The longer break is to encourage you to get up and move around and the 15 second break is to help with eyestrain from looking at a computer screen for too long. These breaks are more to help with your health than with your productivity, but taking consistent breaks may just help with productivity as well.
Well whether you decide to give any of these apps a try or not I wish you the best of luck on your upcoming finals and I hope that you have a wonderful summer!
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