I’m woefully susceptible to procrastination or working ineffectively in attempts to reach a goal. Easily distracted and prone to overwhelm isn’t the best of combinations, so often I need a little bit of help to make me do the things. I’ve been experimenting with a couple of options I’ve found to make myself more productive in the last couple of months, and thought I’d share the ones that have been working best for me – in case any of you also suffer from these sort of demons and wanted to tame them slightly.
forest: play store // apple store
I’ve spoken about forest before, and I do love it… when I remember to use it. It’s fab for making sure I don’t look at my phone during the amount of time I set it for, which equals one less distraction. They also have a laptop version, where you can block certain sites for a set amount of time. It’s definitely something that helps me be more present and effective in my studying/writing, and lets me know when I need to take a break once the chunk of time is up. The only issue is… me… remembering it’s there. fab app though
rewire: play store
technically a habit tracking app, you can set yourself 5 things to track on the free version, and tick them off daily when they’re done. You can choose to set yourself push notifications/alarms so that it asks you to input data daily, which is useful because I’m a lil’ bit forgetful. Being reminded at points I choose during the day helps me actually do the thing was procrastinating.
the things i read for the dissi… |
bullet journal
inb4 trend-bandwagoning, I actually began bullet journalling to a degree at the start of this academic year to see if it would help me increase my productivity. And it has. I’ve only really started doing it ~properly~ – or properly for myself since I don’t actually follow the guide set out that most people do – since January, but it has actually revolutionised my life a little bit. I’m toying with the idea of doing a post about it later in the year once I’ve found something that I settle with monthly, at the moment I’m still experimenting, but it has helped me focus and prioritise.
i can find it really hard to start concentrating in absolute silence, something about it makes my mind work in ways I don’t want it to. If I study with a group then there’s always a chance that I’ll devolve into talking about everything over studying content, but I like having the dull background noise of something to stop me going stir crazy. Rainymood is a website that plays the sound of a rainstorm to help focus, and coffitivity plays a scientifically concocted coffee shop atmosphere – both are things that I use to help me get into a writing mood, or if that doesn’t work I’ll bring up instrumental study music on youtube or 8tracks.
sworkit: play store / apple store
another app, and … it’s a fitness one, which may make people run for the hills or question my sanity, but I find that it actually helps me be more productive. By not sitting around contemplating life in my study breaks (because breaks are good, gotta remember to have breaks) and actually doing something, I can put my mind on focus elsewhere but still feel like I’m not stagnating – something which completely kills any productive streak. Exercise is also really good for keeping you happy and healthy, and sworkit is fab because you can set the amount of time you want to ‘work out’ for, and it creates little routines for you. No hassle at all, you just follow along and zone out for a bit 😀
So far, when I remember to use these, whether all at once, in various combinations, or solo, I definitely feel that my levels of productivity and effectiveness increases. Other things can also affect your productivity – like lack of sleep and proper hydration, so make sure that if you’re having trouble focusing that maybe fiddling around with your sleep schedule or your water intake may help 🙂
♥
Jessica Nicole says
great post, definitely some useful apps here! thanks for sharing xoxJess from Beautiful Breakable
Anonymous says
I'm completely with you on being easily distracted! My biggest problem is that my productivity comes in huge bursts which often leads me to starting lots of projects all at once… Then once the creative, productive wave has washed over me, I feel terrified and overwhelmed because all my ideas seem impossible all of a sudden! I hadn't ever heard of coffitivity before – amazing!
Meg Siobhan says
I want to download the apps to be more productive but to be honest…I'm just productive in little bits and just go with the flow, which is probably a terrible thing, but I can't help it!Meg | A Little Twist Of…
La Coco Noire says
I'm the same as you – I have such trouble concentrating in complete silence. There's a thing called 'pink noise' that I always listen to which might help you if you've not heard of it before? Google it – it's like static noise that gets rid of silence but doesn't distract you. If I've got something that I need to concentrate on at work I pop my headphones and stick on a 3 hr Youtube vid of it – really soothing and drowns out office chatter!Katie.xx La Coco Noire
Imperfectly Rachel says
Great post! Going to the app store now to check some of these out!imperfectlyrachel.blogspot.com
rebeccalikestotravel says
So many good apps there to look in to. I'm the worst for procrastinating! I'll be definitely having a look at some of these.Bee | QueenBeady.com
Leah and Rachel Goth says
Really amazing post! I think the first app sounds so unique and helpful for people that are easily distracted like me!www.leahrachelgoth.blogspot.com
Kemi says
This is so useful for me especially given I'm going through exam period right now! I think I definitely need to download the first app haha.http://skylish.co.uk
Martha Edwards says
This post is amazing for somebody like me who cannot concentrate on the things I SHOULD be concentrating on for shit. So much to download and use here! xMartha Jane | http://www.marthajanemusic.com
TAPEPARADE says
Brilliant post Fii! I'm not studying but working freelance means I am ALWAYS searching for productivity help xx
Emily Rhodes says
This was really helpful! I think I'll try out the coffee shop sound and the forest app! Thank you 🙂 xx