One of the most important things in today’s fast-paced world is to maintain productivity and it isn’t easy at all. In light of this there are so many things that pull our focus and take our attention away from what is important. However, as has been said there are a lot of good sources that can be found on the internet and that will help to increase your efficiency. In this blog post, I will list the 10 sites and tools that I find most useful for productivity, and thus, hope that my list will inspire you as well.
Top 10 Productivity Resources on the Internet
1. Todoist
Todoist is a well-known to-do list and task-organizing application to help people out. From it, you can create tasks, assign due dates, attach notes and details to tasks, tag and sort tasks, and even work with other applications that you employ, such as Google Calendar. The first tier of the application is free and there are paid options to enhance the basic capabilities.
2. Focus@Will
Focus@Will is also usable if you have a problem with concentration while working. This web app plays background music and sounds that are constructed based on research that facilitates focus and minimizes distractions. There are different playlists based on the type of work, for instance, writing, studying, coding, and so on; Subscription begins at $6.25 per month.
3. Forest
Forest is one of the productivity applications that combine elements of gaming into a productivity application to help a user remain productive. One of the tricks you can try is planting a tree that slowly grows while you are within the app or during the time you have your phone active, and if you exit the app or use the phone, the tree dies. In case you score high, hard, or pass you gain coins that can be used to plant a real tree. The motivation of ‘killing’ your tree also works towards minimizing the distractions that are from the phone.
4. Toggl Track
Toggl is one of the best time-tracking applications that can assist the user in identifying where the time is being utilized each day. It has strong reporting options to indicate how many hours a user spends on activities, assignments, and even more. This means of making your productivity visually present can assist in improving your efficiency. Toggl offers its users basic plans that are free of charge.
5. Freedom
Let’s just say that websites and social media can easily lead us through a path of procrastination. Freedom is similar to an Internet filter that forbids you to access certain Web sites that you indicated at the time of their definition for a given number of minutes, hours, or days. You can even limit your internet connection to the extreme if you want to have a complete focus on your district-free sprints.
6. Focusmate
Struggling with accountability? This allows you to connect with another person through video for a productivity call for 50 minutes where you just work on your things. Having a tangible source that will ensure that you are on track is important in enhancing the level of motivation and more time spent on doing deep work. Sessions are $5 each.
7. Otter.ai
Otter.ai is a marvelous AI solution for transcription that can help to take notes and record discussions simultaneously. With their web application, you can even record meetings, interviews, lectures, and so on without using any additional software on your phone or computer. It is transcribed then it is translated into text for it to be shared, accessed, and even searched later. The basic or STARTER package goes for $9.99 per month.
8. Cold Turkey
Another viable application for removing distractions is Cold Turkey. This PC/Mac software blocks the websites and apps you want for a set period and is ideal for use in the workplace. There is no way to ignore or cancel it once set, which makes you concentrate on the task at hand without many interruptions. A basic version of the site is available and its extended version can be purchased for a certain amount of money.
9. RescueTime
RescueTime operates discreetly in the background of the devices in use, and it helps in identifying how much time is spent on particular activities. Effective reporting allows you to analyze your daily behaviors and keep your digital distractions under control. It is very motivating when one receives a summary mail after every week of absence. It is also important to note that there are free limited accounts that you can sign up for.
10. Brain. FM
Similar to Focus@Will, Brain. fm consists of uplifting instrumental background music that is expected to foster focus. There are options for various “focus” categories and they ensure that it is responsive, dynamically adjusting to the user’s mood. Hope is given freely for one to try out the free trial of the software.
The Power of Focus
Constant distraction is the enemy of efficiency and so one must make sure that he or she does not get caught up in social media. Just imagine how much more can be done in a day if you spend less time in front of Facebook or switching between different tabs! If you use even one or two tools from this list you have made your first step toward increasing your productivity.
One can use a timer and set it to 25-30 minutes and try to work on a single task throughout that particular time and apps like Forest to add to the productivity. There is a sense of satisfaction that comes with genuinely trying and succeeding at a power sprint without distraction.
As for the individual tasks, try to avoid frequent context-switching between them as much as possible. It was better to have clear priorities of what must be done on a particular day rather than having a dozen activities that remain half complete. Some of the things that waste time should be avoided by saying no to distractions throughout the day.
This is a simple approach, begin with the fundamentals and then progress with the productivity tips. In the long run, the intensity of concentration will thus rise and the distractions decrease significantly. In no time, you’re going to find yourself entering hyperdrive modes of deep work, where the time flies and progress skyrockets, with these tools enhancing output.
