In this article, I’m going to tell you about two apps that I’ve been using for a couple of months that really have helped me stop procrastinating and get more done.
I am, naturally, a procrastinator. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not at dysfunctional levels. I hold down a sensible and fairly pressured job, putting in levels of reasonable productivity and hard work. But I manage that in spite of my natural tendency to procrastinate, which has always been a trait of mine.
On occasion, my levels of procrastination have reached legendary (and frankly silly) levels. Some of my university assignments were begun at 4am on the very same morning that I’d have to hand them in at 10am. I had no sensible excuse for not starting earlier, just plain old procrastination.
So, I like to think I know a thing or two about the subject. At least enough to share with you two things that really have helped me become more productive. They’ve worked for me, and hopefully they will help any fellow procrastinators out there too.
Why should I get my procrastination under control?
The answer, of course, is because you’re expending time and energy on things which are much less useful than other alterantives. You’re wasting your time and opportunities, which will probably lead to some regret further down the line.
Ostensibly, this is a website about making money, so perhaps it might seem we’re straying a little bit off our beat tackling this subject. But hopefully the link is fairly obvious: one of the key factors in making money is to make the most efficient use of your resources, especially how you use your time.
Eradicating (or at least minimising) procrastination means that you can direct more of your time to useful activities, which in our case can be thrown into things like our favourite side hustles. Similarly, getting a grip on your tendency to procrastinate will also help you in your day job – which should, over time, bring financial success too.
So, let’s check out the two tools that really work for me. Please note: I use an android phone, so my reviews are based on these versions of the apps, but the same apps are available on iPhone.
1) AppBlock – prevent yourself wasting time
This really just does what the name suggests: it allows you to block certain apps, for certain scheduled periods of time.
Embarrasingly, I first got into this because I found myself checking Facebook far too often at work. Initially it was something I tended to do when I had 30 seconds of downtime, but then it became habit-forming. I was checking my phone far too often for updates.
Sneaky Mr Zuckerberg had reeled me in with his mesmeric Facebook algorithms. My habit was becoming unproductive and, frankly, unprofessional (although I used to be careful to make sure I wasn’t seen doing this).
When I stepped back to think about it, I remembered that nothing important or very interesting ever seemed to happen on Facebook anyway (no, not even hilarious fail video compilations). And on the rare occurrence anything noteworthy had happened, it could always wait until my lunch break or my train ride home.
The bottom line was: checking my phone was breaking my flow, and limiting my productvity. Zuckerberg was getting rich at my expense.
Block your 5 most addictive apps, when you know you should be doing other things
Using AppBlock, I set up a schedule where my top 5 time-wasting apps (which includes Twitter, eBay and my internet browser) are blocked between the hours of 9.30-11.50 and 12.50-16.50 on weekdays.
That gives me freedom to check things at the start and end of the work day, and some time over lunch (no point being overly strict) but otherwise I am locked out.
It really works well for me. The temptation is sometimes still there to frivolously check things on my phone, but AppBlock comes to the rescue and reminds me that I’m being a naughty boy and should know better. Over time, it has helped me get more used to phone separation and focus on what I should be getting on with.
With the free version of AppBlock you can only block 5 apps (the paid version allows more) but I find that’s absolutely fine for my requirements. I have chosen not to block WhatsApp or email, because if I’m on those then I’m usually doing something productive – at least from a personal viewpoint, even if it’s not necessarily work related.
If, on occasion I really do need access to something I’ve blocked then I can overrule AppBlock by going into it and turning off the schedule. I tend to find I don’t do this without very good reason.
All in, this is a fantastic little app – an actual life-improver as far as I’m concerned – which I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Using AppBlock you can even set it to block apps depending on your location or just set a daily usage limt for any apps you find yourself over-using.
2) Forest – keeping you task focussed
Latest research on procrastination (check this article by the BBC) suggest that procrastination isn’t so much a result of your poor time management, it’s more to do with your emotions.
Essentially, the thinking is that we know what we should be doing, we just don’t want to do it because we perceive the task unpleasant or boring. This absolutely rings true in my case. And thinking back to my university days it’s exactly why I’d often be burning the midnight oil frantically cobbling together an essay that I’d had all week to do.
Although thinking seems to be changing, the advice on how to tackle procrastination remains much the same (and underwhelming): just get started!
Numerous times, I’ve found that a task I was putting off is something that I’ve actually ended up throwing myself into once I’ve just managed to get started. If you can bring yourself to do just 10 minutes of a task, then you’ll often find that you don’t mind doing a lot more! Simply, in most cases, the thought of doing the task is a lot worse than actually doing it.
Forest helps you get started, and stay focussed, on tasks you’ve been putting off
Using Forest, you set a timer on your phone and work on a specific task until the end of the time period. Succeed in not straying from the forest app during the time period and you’ll grow a tree which goes into your virtual forest. Fail, and a withered bush will be placed in there instead, reminding you of your bitter failure (don’t worry, you can remove it).
It’s a way of gamifying periods of focus. And, whilst it’s a bit of a gimmick, it has worked well for me. I know that I can leave the forest app at any time, but I really dislike the palpable failure that comes with killing off a tree.
I set my focus periods for 25 minutes, as that is the proposed time slots in the pomodoro method, of which I am a massive fan. Apparently, this is the optimal length of time to work for, before you grant yourself a 5-minute break and then begin another 25-minute slot. I’m not quite that rigid all the time, but I use it as a broad guide.
This app has been incredibly helpful when I’m procrastinating a specific task. I tell myself that if I can just do it for 25 minutes then I can have a break, and even switch to something else. More often than not, after 25 minutes I’ve got immersed in the task and am quite happy to continue!
The other thing that I like about forest is that it offers ambient sounds, in order to help you concentrate. The free version only has one track: which is ‘Forest Rain’, and I’ve found myself using that a lot in order to shut out distracting sounds and remain extra focused.
Some of the audio tracks offered by Forest – rumor has it that the Cafe in Paris track has someone intermittently shouting “how much for a bottle of water, you’re joking?!”
Visually track your productivity over time!
Overall, this app is like the basic pomodoro timer technique, but with the extra satisfaction that comes over time with seeing the fruits of all your labour visually presented in a forest. Sounds silly, but when you think that each one of those trees represents 25 minutes of 100% grafting, it’s highly satisfying to look at.
Here is how my forest looked after two months of using the app. I still regret growing those two pink monstrosities.
As I mentioned above, the app is completely free, but the paid version does offer some more benefits: more audio tracks, no adverts, more functionality, and even a method by which the app-makers will ensure trees get planted in real life. So you can even help the environment whilst you become more productive. Win win!
What are your tips to keep you focussed?
As you can see, those are two apps that are working really well for me at the moment. But, as a natural procrastinator, I’m always on the look out for tips that will help me. I’d love to hear yours – share them below!