Fun ways to harness technology and become a productive force
The dual distractions of your phone and the internet can sometimes make it seem like you never get any work done. However, technological innovations can often provide the solutions for the problems technology creates. These websites and plug-ins for your web browser are great tools to help you avoid distraction and remain productive. What’s more, they’re all free to use, so give them a try!
1. Go Fucking Work
The Go Fucking Work add-on for Google Chrome takes a no-nonsense approach to encouraging productivity. With this installed, your computer will shout motivational expletives at you whenever you go astray. Simply set the sites that are most likely to distract you and prepare to face a tirade.
The tool is also easy to pause if you start to feel sensitive and need a break from the abuse.
2. The Most Dangerous Writing App
Writer’s block is an awful feeling and one anyone who has to write for a living has encountered. Facing a blank page and knowing you need to fill it up with words can be incredibly intimidating. The Most Dangerous Writing App is a web tool that might fix that problem, though as the name suggests, it comes with a risk.
The simple premise of this app is that if you stop typing for too long, all your work will be deleted. You set it up for a session of up to one hour and away you go. I’d recommend testing it out on something not overly serious to see if it’s right for you, but it can definitely help. Fear is a great motivator, after all.
3. Boomerang
Writing a lot of emails can be an exhausting, draining experience all on its own. The last thing you need is an extra layer of worry over when the email should be sent. If you find that the time you write your emails never lines up with the best time to contact someone, try Boomerang. This lets you schedule emails to send at a specific time, giving you one less thing to remember and turning two tasks into one. This is the least fun recommendation on the list, but it’s so useful that it makes the cut.
4. Focusbook
Facebook is the arch-nemesis of the productive work day. You might think you’re just going on it to have a quick look but then you glance at the time and find an hour as passed. If you’re in the habit of automatically opening up Facebook in a new tab as soon as you sit down at your desk, this Chrome extension can help you. Focusbook demands you tell it why you opened Facebook, ensuring you never thoughtlessly wander onto social media without a good reason.
It’ll also swear at you a bit if you linger too long, if ‘Go Fucking Work’ hasn’t given you enough of that yet.
