Best apps to help you stay focused
According to research, it takes, on average, 66 days to develop a discipline into a habit. This number might vary for you depending on your situation, but remember that it’s not something that you can do over-night. But it is possible. And once you turn a discipline into a habit, you become better at it AND it becomes easier to execute.
We know that actioning this sort of thing can be easier said than done, so in an attempt to help you out here are the best productivity apps to help you stay focused this year:
Pocket
Picture this. You’re just wrapping up your morning commute to work. You’ve been scrolling through your favourite blogs and news sites (using Feedly, of course) when you come across an article you need to read. But you don’t have time.
Luckily, just as your train pulls into its stop, you hit the “Save to pocket” button and rest easy, knowing the article will be there when you need it. That’s what Pocket is for. It’s a virtual binder of all your favourite, must-read articles, and it works on desktop and mobile.When you open the Pocket mobile app and it detects a web page on the clipboard, it’ll automatically suggest you add that link to your reading list. It’s a little thing, but it’s a time saver! Go get it - getpocket.com
2. Unroll.Me
If there’s ever been a life saving app it is this! If you are one of those who has battled with a list of unread emails to endless accounts you have subscribed to over the years. It can make you feel like you can never catch up with that endless bubble when every morning a whole new cycle of unwanted emails come in.
It might feel like just a few seconds of distraction, but it can cause you to lose focus completely. That’s where Unroll.Me comes in. Unroll.Me goes through your inbox, collates your subscription emails, helps you unsubscribe from the emails you no longer need, then rolls up the emails you like into one easy daily digest email. Prepare for Inbox Zero. unroll.me
3. Simple Habit
Plenty of research has been done on the benefits of meditation, so it probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you to learn that meditation can make you more productive. If you’re not already incorporating daily meditation into your schedule, the Simple Habit app is a great way to start.
The app offers a basic wheel of audio-guided five-minute meditations for specific scenarios, like having a tough day or needing to get a good night’s sleep, along with a fuller library of mindfulness content uploaded by the teachers on its platform — divided into topics like stress, personal growth, kindness, relationships and work. Content here can be longer. It can also be filtered by teacher should you wish to listen to the same voice.
You can sign up for a premium subscription and gain access to meditations for every aspect of daily life: commuting, working, sleeping, it’s as simple as that : simplehabit.com
4. MOMENT:
Some of us jokingly say that we’re addicted to our iPhones. A newly released app called Moment will show us just how true that statement may be. Designed to promote a healthier balance between our real lives and those lived through the small screens of our digital devices, Moment tracks how much you use your phone each day, helps you create daily limits on that usage, and offers “occasional nudges” when you’re approaching those limits.
The app’s creator, Kevin Holesh, says he built Moment for himself after realizing how much his digital addictions were affecting his real-world relationships.
5. Evernote + Scannable
Here’s a little two-in-one for you. Evernote and Scannable (by Evernote) can be downloaded separately or together. But they are both must-have apps for anyone serious about getting and staying organised. Evernote works as a digital notebook.
In fact, you can have multiple notebooks, each filled with pages of notes. You can tag the pages, also, which helps you keep tabs if you’re an avid note-taker. As for Scannable, this app is a scanner that you can take on-the-go. You simply hover your mobile or tablet over a piece of paper, and it will “scan” the paper and turn it into a PDF or image.
Then, you can share it, save it, or send it. It’s that easy.
