As much as you want to stay on track, the very tools you use in your work don’t exactly lend themselves to staying focused. We’re talking, of course, about your laptop, and the many, many tabs it allows you to keep open at once, even as you try to focus on one task. After all, who can stay on a Google Doc when there’s a new Facebook Live video to be watched?
Luckily, there’s a modern day solution to account for our modern day onset of ADHD. Meet Focus, branded as “a friendly new Chrome extension to keep you from procrastinating.”
Designed by Paul Christophe, this extension promises to keep you on track and on task with a little bit of compromise. If you stay focused for 25 minutes, you’re rewarded with a break. But this is one element that keeps you from cheating — Focus blocks distracting sites and keeps an ever-present to-do list on your radar so that you can see just how much you can’t afford to procrastinate (and concentrate on just how much you’ve accomplished at the end of the day).
Whereas the majority of productivity apps generally specialize in a single function, like tracking your activity or blocking certain sites, Focus combines all these tools into one holistic aid for efficiency’s sake. When you’re finally done messing around and putting off that task you know you promised to finish about a week ago, click “Start Focusing,” and start making your way through your to-do list. As you complete each line item, they’re added to your day’s activity log, which gives you a sense of self-satisfaction at the end of your workday by showing you your progress.
“The internet is a double-edged sword; it has the potential for incredible productivity and also incredible distraction. I’d like to be able to help anyone on the internet who’s trying to accomplish their goals,” Christophe said of his new plug-in. Already, users have asked for additional functionality, which has been added to Focus. Now, you can also drag and drop your to-do’s, set custom timers, and enter night mode.
So if you’re looking for a way to start getting serious about your work, you may want to focus on Focus.
