2020 has been a difficult year for most of us. The concept of routine becomes hollow, and it’s hard to stay focused on getting the job done. As we look forward to 2021 – the new year, it’s crucial to make lifestyle changes to stay productive. If you often find yourself procrastinating during work or study, here’s a list of apps that can help you refocus and focus on the most important tasks at the moment.
A collection of the best working software: focus on the best apps for work
What are the best working software? We’ve compiled a list for both mobile and desktop platforms. In addition, this article contains some practical tips that may come in handy when you are trying to stay productive. You can use the table of contents button below to easily navigate between sections.
What is the Focus App?
The Focus app is an app that helps you eliminate distractions. It can be used as a tool to help you prioritize tasks so you can get the job done instead of blindly browsing the internet. As the name suggests, one cannot confuse focus apps with meditation apps or habit tracking apps. Meditation apps are used to deal with mental health issues and relax the mind, while focus apps are for when situations require explosive productivity.
Focus on apps for Android and iPhone
Forest
Best software recommendations for work: Forest is a great app that will make you more productive, especially if you’re someone who cares about nature and the environment. In the app, you should plant a tree and make sure it doesn’t die. If you switch to another app, the tree will die, and when you enter a distracting app, you’ll see a warning screen urging you to switch back.
You can plant different kinds of trees and set focus time ranging from 10 minutes to 120 minutes. In addition, with the app’s pro subscription, you can plant real trees, get detailed statistics, whitelist useful apps, unlock ad-free experiences, and much more.
Pricing: Android in-app purchases are free, and iOS in-app purchases are $1.99
Download Forest (Android, iOS)
Engross
Best working software download: Engross is a productivity app inspired by Francesco Cirillo’s Pomodoro Technique. The app allows you to set work timers and break timers, manage to-do lists, and create/manage events using its built-in planner. You can even choose to split your work and time into sessions for better management. One of Engros’ unique features is the way it approaches accountability.
Whenever you get off track, you can hit the “hit me when you’re distracted” button to keep track of how many times you’ve been distracted during work and jump back instantly. Combined with a premium subscription, you get detailed statistics, app whitelisting, white noise, the option to write a comment or note in a session, and more timer topics.
Pricing: Free with in-app purchases on Android and iOS
Download Engross ( Android , iOS )
Focus To-Do
Collection of Best Software for Work: Focus To-Do is another app that helps you with task management. With Focus To-Do, you can set a focus timer from 1 minute to 480 minutes. The app has built-in white noises such as tic-tac-toe, countdown, cricket wind, rain, cage, library, and many more.
What I like most about Focus To-Do is how it blocks apps. Instead of locking you completely out of distracting apps, Focus To-Do warns you by vibrating your phone. The app’s premium subscription unlocks cloud backups, detailed statistics, new white noise, and more.
Pricing: Free with in-app purchases on Android and iOS
Download Focus To-Do (Android, iOS)
Focus Keeper
What are the best working software? If you want a simple Pomodoro app whose sole purpose is to be more productive through work and rest time, then Focus Keeper is what you should focus on. During your work, it will tick a satisfactory clock, and you will receive a chime to indicate that the working time is over.
However, you can disable the sound by swiping left from the bottom area of the app. While this app won’t block other apps, it’s useful to keep track of your time. You can see usage patterns over the last 14 or 30 days in charts.
Pricing: Free
Download Focus Keeper (Android, iOS).
Focus mode and screen time
Best Software for Work Recommendation: Focus Mode and Screen Time are two underrated features on iPhone and Android devices. While these aren’t apps you download from the Play Store or App Store, these built-in digital wellbeing features provide the basic functionality of all other apps. You can set a daily app timer to lock yourself out after you’ve used up your time limit. In addition, you can see a visual representation of the most frequently used apps and track your usage habits.
Once you’re in Focus, you can use it to block distracting apps at specific times of the day. I personally use Android’s digital wellbeing features to disable social media apps during working hours. You can access Digital Wellbeing features from Settings > Screen Time on your iPhone with iOS 12 or later. Similarly, you can access digital wellbeing for Android from Settings -> Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls. You can also try out these digital wellbeing apps from Google.
Focus on apps for Windows and Mac
Freedom
Best Working Software Download: Freedom is a must-have productivity app on Mac and Windows machines. You can use Freedom to play ambient sound, block websites, apps, and even block internet access with the click of a button. You can also set blocklists for selected websites and applications, or add exceptions for useful websites. With Freedom’s premium features – the Premium plan, you can schedule future sessions that start automatically. You can also choose to create a recurring session. Thanks to Freedom’s cross-platform nature, you can use the app on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and ChromeOS (via a browser extension).
Pricing: Free with in-app purchases
Download Freedom (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome extension)
Serene
Serene is a visually pleasing app that avoids distractions. macOS apps can block websites and apps. You also get extra features like scheduling, to-do lists, and focus music. Although the app is exclusive to macOS, the developers revealed that a Windows app is in development. In the meantime, you can use the Serene browser extension for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox to block distracting websites.
Pricing: Free with in-app purchases
Download Serene (Mac, Chrome extension, Firefox extension)
Mindful Browsing
Mindful Browsing is a simple yet useful browser extension to stay away from distracting websites. Unlike Serene, which takes a draconian approach, Mindful Browsing asks you if you really want to visit a distracting website. You can choose to use the site for 10 minutes or close it. In addition, you can add a production task to remind it. If you want a gentle reminder to focus on your work, you should check it out.
Pricing: Free
Download Mindful Browsing (Chrome Extension)
LeechBlock
Collection of Best Working Software: LeechBlock is another browser extension that blocks websites, but it’s highly customizable. You can define a total of six groups of blocked websites and choose when to block them. Interestingly, there is the option to apply filters (blur, grayscale, invert, sepia) to make the page less appealing instead of locking it completely. The developers have also added a setting to close the tab instead of blocking the page.
Pricing: Free
Download LeechBlock (Chrome Extension, Edge Extension, Firefox Extension)
Pomodoro Timer
Best working software recommendation: Last but not least, we have Pomodoro Timer, a web application provided by Francesco Cirillo, the creator of Pomodoro technology. All you have to do is create a new event on the website with its description and click on the Wind Up button. After completing a lesson, you can take a break of 2, 5, 15, or 30 minutes.
Best working software download: Use Pomodoro Timer (web app).
Tips to focus without an app
Now that you know all these apps, let’s discuss some tips to stay focused even without them. One habit that I personally think works is quitting after using an addictive platform. The idea is to increase friction in the process so that you have to put in extra effort to use it. By introducing an extra step, you’re unlikely to jump back right away. When you do, I highly recommend that you set up two-factor authentication for the platform. Not only does this make the sign-in process lengthy, but it also provides an extra layer of security for your account.
If you’re on a budget, a great way to stay focused is to invest in a decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones. This blocks out external noise, which reduces distractions. Then, you can play ambient music, lo-fi cold beats, or anything that can help calm your mind. You can find dedicated study/work playlists on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and other leading music streaming services.
Finally, one aspect that most of us tend to overlook is setting the right emotions. I mean having a clean desk or work environment. It doesn’t have to be the expensive dream table setup you see in one of the YouTube videos. A simple and functional table with proper cable management goes a long way in maintaining productivity.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Why are my thoughts so scattered?
When you are engrossed in your thoughts, your thoughts tend to get distracted. You can take a step back and analyze your actions and actions to regain control. If you’re preparing for the exam, you can follow evidence-based techniques such as spaced repetition, the mnemonic peg system, or the Feynman technique to better prepare.
Q: What causes inattention at work?
If the task in question is boring or too much workload/stress, people may lose focus at work. An overwhelmed mind may end up skipping all assigned tasks. If the problem gets out of control, a chronic lack of attention can be a symptom of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Q: How does anxiety affect concentration?
People with anxiety often have difficulty concentrating. The best way to deal with anxiety is to seek professional help and make positive lifestyle changes.
Q. How can I read without losing focus?
Due to social media and easy access to smartphones, the average attention span has dropped significantly over the years. By reducing distractions, choosing topics of interest, and taking occasional breaks, you can read without losing focus.
Q: How do you stop yourself from using the app?
You can use apps like Forest and Freedom to lock yourself out of distracting apps.
Q: How can I improve my productivity?
By using techniques such as the Eisenhower matrix to prioritize tasks based on urgency, eliminate distractions, and follow the Pareto principle (80/20 rule), you can be more productive.
Focus on your work and beat procrastination
What are the best working software? This marks the end of our choice of apps to help you be more productive. We hope this list will help you make meaningful changes to your daily routine and increase the amount of time you spend on useful activities. If you’re using a focus app that isn’t mentioned here, feel free to let us know in the comments and we’ll review and consider adding them in the future.
