Many things in our lives prove legit, good and important, but when we look critically at them, they are mere distractions, deterring us from achieving what we truly want. Distraction is everyone’s enemy, but only a few people know how to put it into subjection.
Watching movies, playing games, and having some banters with friends and family are not bad, they’re good for calming our cluttered minds. But when these take over our time, we have nothing to point at as being productive. They end up sucking our productivity. Then a daunting question pops up: “What productive things have I done today?” What would be your answer?
The good news is that things don’t always have to go that way. There are many productivity apps at your reach right now, which would make you beat your chest so that you have a productive time at the end of each day. Just a search will usher you into different kinds that can be found on the web. You’d be able to effectively use your precious time, which blows off like steam.
But during your diligent search, you may need clarification about which apps would best fit for productivity. That’s why this article provides you with some picks that will be suitable for you.
Table of Contents
What are Productivity Apps?
Productivity apps are application programs that help you reduce distractions and focus on the tasks you want to see accomplished.
They help you do more within a specific period of time, leaving you with deep ease that you have completed your most important tasks.
Why Should You Use Productivity Apps?
We live in a world full of distractions. Many things are relentlessly contending for our attention. And as a result of this, being productive seems to be a tough feat. We try to ward off these distractions, but they appear so genuine.
Fortunately, we now have some tools that will help us minimize distractions. Productivity Apps have proven to be of great help. Using them avails you these advantages:
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Work efficiency
They make you get work done efficiently.
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Time management
Time is one of the most precious assets in the world. It cannot be recovered once gone. Productivity apps help you to manage your time effectively. They make you do more within a specified period of time. They also give you an insight into how you use your time.
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Motivation
Motivation is what drives you towards achieving or accomplishing a goal. Productivity apps help with that.
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Accountability
Productivity apps keep the data and record your actions.
Top 5 Must-Have Productivity Apps
Here are the productivity apps:
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Freedom
Freedom
According to the app’s site, more than 2 million people use it to reclaim focus and productivity.
Freedom app offers you freedom from the confinement of the web. It helps to block distractions by preventing access to certain websites and social media (your internet connection at large). Social media platforms are the major distractions that limit productivity, using Freedom could help you get disconnected from the traction that come from them. You can also disable the app if you want to, you just have to reboot your device.
How Does it Work
Freedom functions by locally blocking content on your devices. On desktops, it uses a combination of a local proxy and optional browser plugins to implement the local block. On iOS, it uses a “local VPN” that blocks content directly on the device
Compatibility: Windows, Android, iOS, Chrome, Mac
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Forest
Forest
It’s another productivity app that helps you to stay focused by just planting a tree. So, you’re addicted to your phone? Forest helps to reduce our phone addiction and make effective use of our time in a more fun way.
How Does it Work
You select a tree you would like to plant. Then, you set a time at which you will stay focused. So let’s say you leave the app to check up on some things. Your tree will wither and die. You wouldn’t want that to happen, right? So you’re going to stay focused. After you’ve completed a session, you will be rewarded with some coins.
Compatibility: Android, Windows, iOS, Mac
Read Also: A Comprehensive Guide to Improving Business Productivity as a Freelancer, Entrepreneur and Employee
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Cold Turkey
Cold Turkey
Just like Freedom, Cold Turkey enables you to block access to specific websites, apps, and even games. You can also block the entire internet. Cold Turkey is stricter than most blocking sites or apps because it becomes very hard to stop the block once you set the timer.
This leaves you with no choice but to stay focused on that important task you want to start and finish. You won’t have to worry about distractions from your PC.
How Does it Work
You have to download the suitable version of the blocker for your operating system (be it Windows or macOS). Visit Cold Turkey for installation. After successful downloading and installation (of the right extension) for the web browser you are using, you will enable the extension by clicking on the ON/OFF button. You also have to enable incognito by clicking on “ALLOW in incognito”, which is in the extension menu.
When all these have been done, you can start listing the websites and apps you want to block. Cold Turkey is such a great blocker, which allows you to live a distraction-free life.
Compatibility: Safari, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Chrome.
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Leechblock
LeechBlock
This is another great app that makes you block distractions from time-sucking websites. There is no need for long processes, just select the sites you want to block and when to block them. It also allows you to customize the times and days for the specified sites you want to block if you don’t want to keep enabling and disabling them.
How Does it Work
Install the Leech Block extension on any of the browsers mentioned below
Compatibility: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Mozilla Firefox
Read Also: 15 Essential SaaS Tools to Boost Your Productivity as an Entrepreneur
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Focus Keeper
Focus Keeper
Just like the name, Focus Keeper, this app enables you to keep your focus using a Pomodoro timer. The countdown of the specified minutes you set pushes you to manage your time effectively and stay productive before you run out of time.
How Does it Work
- You set a timer. The default is 25 minutes.
- Focus, with undivided attention, on the task until the time elapses.
- Take some minutes break (5 minutes, by default).
- After four sessions, take a long break (15-30 minutes).
Compatibility: iOS, Android
Read Also: The Most Popular Apps for Nigerian Youths
Conclusion
Productivity apps are prominent tools you can use to do much in less time. Using them could take you from a less productive state and propel you to a high level of efficiency.
Download a productivity app today to enhance your productivity.
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About the Author
Popoola Joshua is a content writer and marketer. He writes SEO-driven content that’s relevant and valuable to attract and engage a specified target audience. If he doesn’t write, he spends time reading self-help books, and surfing the web for valuable trends in this economic world.
About Author
- Op-Ed are articles published by guest authors. We no longer accept guest posts. However, we are still open to adding long-term content contributors to our team of insightful writers. To write for us, please check out inisght.ng/guest-post.
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