Technologies offer a range of tools to help us address procrastination, from complex time tracking systems to simple focus tools with a few buttons. Procrastination is a habit, and we can change this habit by using the right instruments and developing new coping strategies. Stick around to pick the best app for procrastination and find the one that suits your personality best.
Apps to Block Distractions
Whether you want to block them for a brief period of time or to make it into a habit, Liven reviews hundreds of apps that can stop you from opening social media or your Steam account before you’re done.
Freedom
Freedom lets you schedule your focus time for maximum effect. This application doesn’t just block social media — you can do the same with websites. The best thing? You can make specific adjustments for different devices you’re planning to use (or, rather, make sure you don’t switch to watching TikTok on your tablet after you’ve blocked it on your phone).
Freedom offers an app, a website, and even Internet blocking, device synchronization, scheduling, blocklists, and locked mode. This approach allows you to stop searching for pathways to find some dopamine sources.
Cold Turkey
Calling itself “The toughest website blocker on the Internet,” Cold Turkey does feel like a rigorous approach to discipline. It is for those of us who need some tough love to get into a working mood. The creators of the app state that overcoming the blocking once it’s set is almost impossible, which helps users ensure they won’t have easy access to their time stealers. Cold Turkey can block not just specific websites but also particular links (no favorite subreddits to enjoy) or keywords in Google search results. Moreover, it can block an entire computer.
App Block
If you are more used to procrastinating on your phone, App Block helps to address precisely that. We often put our tasks aside when we’ve got our mobile devices close by, which makes this program much more convenient. App Block encourages its users to redefine productivity and focus on shifting to new, more productive, and mindful habits. It comes with fully customizable schedules with different focus types and apps blocked, from work and study to mindful mornings or rest.
Apps for Deep Focus
These applications are designed to help you have a specific focus session during which you direct most of your attention to the prioritized task. They artificially push you into a sprint to get more stuff done.
Session
Using the Pomodoro approach, Session also blocks apps and programs to ensure your focus remains stable. Aside from that, the app gives detailed performance metrics that you can look through to check in with yourself to know whether you are meeting your goals. Plus, it syncs with Slack, allowing you to inform your co-workers about your focus sessions. If you work best using short sprints and need an efficient, flexible boost, Session is a good alternative.
Forest
This simple and appealing app turns your focus time into a tree. Pick the time you want to focus, set it on the app, and let it grow the tree while you’re working. If you decide to end the session before your scheduled time, the tree dies. Forest shows you how your procrastination slowly builds up — the more trees you grow, the greater your forest is. This instrument can be used on any platform, even serving as a browser extension.
Plantie
Similar to Forest, Plantie is about turning your session into a digital green space. You set up focus time to plant and grow a sprout. When you’re distracted, the growth stops. It doesn’t allow you to switch to or open other apps, ensuring you stay on track. The app has a nice gamified feel to it, too: you can unlock new plants with coins. So, the more you do, the more exciting each focus session can get.
Apps to Make Productivity Social
If you’re one of those people who are most productive when they are surrounded by others, these programs can be a good way to incorporate this into your habits.
Habitica
Aiming to help you develop better habits while keeping it fun, Habitica turns the process into an RPG-like process. It transforms new achievements into upgrades, making users feel like heroes in a video game. If you move forward to become more successful, you get rewards and points. If you fail, you are punished (nothing scary!). Habitica is inherently social. Together with making friends, you can fight monsters and face challenges that fit your goals, almost like it’s a DnD session.
Roomie
You don’t have to go to a coffee shop to feel like you’re working alongside others — Roomie makes sure of that. You can join focus groups with others and observe how well they are doing. Slightly similar to a social media platform but directed at productivity, Roomie has a feed and your following list. Seeing what others are doing brings accountability and motivates you to do more.
Pomoroom
Pomoroom combines deep-focus sessions with social experiences. Whenever you decide to start working on your tasks, you can join a room with others. You are being timed using the Pomodoro technique, and you can see how this session is progressing. You can always check who’s working and how many people are in the room with you. Plus, the app has statistics, a streak, and a global leaderboard with champions.
Conclusion
The key to becoming more productive and addressing procrastination is intention. All of these apps can help you move from planning to action, but they are most helpful when you are ready to invest your time and effort in them. Even five minutes more today is a great achievement — and as your wins start to build up, your motivation also grows.
