Our Wellness Columnist shares his top apps to keep you on track and focused throughout the day
Here’s a question for you: what are the chances that you’ll get distracted while reading this article?
Chances are you will. Surveys show that 3 out of 4 of workers feel distracted throughout the day, with working environment, co‐workers, calls, emails, deadlines and social media notifications being some of the top causes.
Many of us experience dips in focus and productivity when distracted, which can lead to missed deadlines, lower energy levels and increased stress.
Thanks to constant interruptions, we struggle to find the tools necessary to focus throughout the day. The Pomodoro Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, might provide a solution. A time management method and productivity system, the technique encourages people to focus on a concentrated task for 25 minutes with the help of a timer.
The timer guides your focus and then rewards you with a five‐minute break. It’s during this time that I would encourage clients to stand up, move around and stretch to break up prolonged sitting and sedentary activity.
Although there are a variety of Pomodoro apps available – a simple search for ‘pomodoro timer’ will present you with a range of apps – one of my favourites is Forest, because it utilises playful gamification; notifications serve as a gentle reminder when you break your focus time, and it also ends up showing the destruction of a virtual tree; harsh!
Furthermore, it blocks your access to social media. Other apps, such as Pomodor, enable you to use the technique on your desktop, while Marinara Timer allows you to work in teams.
Once you find an app that works for you, you’ll find that you’re likely to feel less stressed and more energised by the end of your working day. Whether you’re working from home or you’re back in the office, over time you’ll train yourself to become more focused and, ultimately, more productive.
