The smartphone has long become the primary tool for combating those long, idle stretches of time when you either don’t have anything to do or simply don’t want to do anything. Even better, it’s indispensable for situations where you just need to pass the time. It’s a simple concept that we often refer to as procrastination.
How effectively do you combat procrastination? You might be overlooking numerous opportunities to enhance self-improvement, manage daily routines more effectively, or engage in more meaningful relaxation and rest. All you need is the right guidance.
The apps listed below can provide you with exactly that. Moreover, these apps can assist you in cultivating a habit of infusing meaning and excitement into those moments when and where you require it.
- Today Is The Day
- Packs a ton of features and tools
- Helps tackle procrastination from multiple angles
- Personalizes dynamically via a quiz
For everyone setting their mind on saying farewell to senseless procrastination once and for all – today is the day! You can achieve your goal easily with the Today Is The Day app, which takes on a neuroscientific approach, offering a custom-tailored Anti-Procrastination Program.
Users get daily self-improvement lessons and tasks focused on smart routine planning and self-destructive habit dropping. You can make gradual self-improvements using personalized weekly/monthly reports. Additionally, you’ll have access to a variety of anti-procrastination features, including mental exercise worksheets, guidance, event trackers, and to-do lists
Today is the Day is a web-based application. This means that it can be accessed and used directly from a web browser on your device, without the need for downloading or installing an app.
- Forest
- Fun and original gamified approach
- Efficiently blocks the launching of distracting apps
- Rewards you with your own personal forest
Let’s start with something plain and simple. The Forest app uses a gamified approach to keep you focused. You set a custom timer during which a tree grows in your virtual soil. What’s the catch? You get to witness a grown tree in all its glory only if you stay in the app. If you leave, the tree simply dies. Your goal is to grow a focused-time forest, where each tree is the proud result of your avoiding all the silly, waste-of-time stuff.
- Focus@will
- Employs sound in a smart way
- Personalizes to unique needs
- Packs thousands of hours of audio
Focus@Will provides curated music playlists scientifically designed to enhance focus and concentration. The app packs tons of categorized music that’s optimized to boost productivity by reducing distractions and helping you maintain a steady workflow. A selection of music for you is personalized with the help of a quick quiz you must take when starting with the app. Audio moods range from symphonic and organic instrumental sounds to various ambiance.
- PomoDone
- Employs a well-proven technique
- Very simple to figure out and use
- Comes in great for daily use
PomoDone uses the Pomodoro Technique, a special time management technique where you break large bodies of work into focused sprints (30 minutes to an hour) followed by short breaks. This app enables you to follow this method by timing daily work sprints and breaks. It’s that simple – you can create custom events and set separate timers for each. A neat way to boost your daily time and task management.
- RescueTime
- Good for daily activity monitoring
- Helps set custom alerts and goals
- Provides interesting summaries
RescueTime tracks your app and website usage across as many connected devices as you wish, providing insights into where your time goes. It also offers reports and productivity scores, helping you identify areas where you might be spending too much time on distractions. You can also set alerts for custom events and milestones.
- Cold Turkey
- Promotes the “all or nothing” approach
- For serious, consistent smartphone breaks
- Leaves the essential functionality
How about going cold turkey with all the social media addiction and constant distractions? This app allows you to take your smartphone breaks very seriously. Cold Turkey is a website and app blocker that allows you to fully block certain apps or sites for as much as you wish. You can set specific time limits or schedules to help you stay on track. You may as well block off your phone use completely, except for taking calls and setting bedtime alarms.
- Freedom
- Offers lots of different blocklist categories
- Simple to customize and use
- Supports multiple devices on a single account
Another website/app blocker that provides convenient, easy-to-manage categories of resource types you wish to be blocked. Freedom allows you to block distracting or simply unwanted websites and apps across multiple devices (if needed). You can schedule focused sessions and create custom blocklists, which helps you stay on task without interruptions.
- Mindly
- Provides visual organization of ideas
- Customizes all across the board
- Allows to export and save unique mind maps
This one is a mind-mapping app designed for the visual organization of concepts, thoughts, and abstractly shaped ideas. Mind mapping is a technique where you create a visual representation of concepts, usually centred around a central idea or topic. A visual grasp of something abstract (like ideation and time management) makes it simpler to manage. Mindly is particularly useful for brainstorming, organizing projects, planning, note-taking, and outlining.
Final Verdict
Remember that the effectiveness of anti-procrastination apps can vary based on personal preferences and habits. It’s a good idea to experiment with different apps and techniques to discover the ones that resonate with you. One final piece of advice: prioritize smart choices and let scientific principles enhance each moment of your life for greater efficiency.