We live in an age where it’s all too easy to get distracted. Whether it’s the relentless lure of social media, the temptation to check our emails, or the boredom-buster of browsing the available games in a kazino (online), it can seem that there’s always a thousand different things we could be doing at once.
This not only means that our work now takes longer to complete; flicking between tasks too quickly is also having a worrying effect on our attention spans. In fact, research from Microsoft Corp suggests that our attention spans have dropped by 4 seconds – from 12 to 8 – between 2000 and 2013.
To put it another way, that means your attention span is probably now shorter than that of a goldfish.
The good news is that there’s a whole host of apps out there that aim to help boost our productivity. This article will recommend some of the very best programmes to download if you need a helping hand when it comes to keeping your focus, banishing distractions, and smashing that to-do list.
Trello
Trello is a visual organisation tool that helps you keep track of your projects, tasks, and upcoming deadlines. It was first unveiled at a TechCrunch event in 2011, where it gained attention as one of ‘The 7 Coolest Startups You Haven’t Heard Of Yet’. Its obscurity didn’t last long – today, it’s got more than 50 million users around the world.
Trello’s interface is list-based, enabling you to visualise your to-do list and arrange your tasks according to the urgency. Moving your tasks from the ‘doing’ to the ‘done’ board brings a nice sense of achievement, especially if you’re motivated by being able to tick items off your list physically.
Todoist
Compatible with both Android and iOS, Todoist is a free, independent app which enables you to create a series of to-do lists. Whether you’re struggling to organise your work tasks, your home chores, or your social life, you can map out your calendar and keep track of when everything needs to get done.
Todoist also enables you to delegate tasks by sharing your lists with other people, as well as track your daily, weekly, and monthly productivity trends. (These trends are calculated using your number of finished tasks, which you can mark as ‘complete’ from within the app). This is a great feature if you’re keen to make a lasting change to your routine and want to monitor your progress over time.
Flow
If you prefer to jot down your to-do lists in notebooks and can find apps a little prescriptive, then Flow is set to become your productivity hero (so long as you own an iOS device and don’t mind paying $1.99 a month).
Designed by Moleskine, the brand behind the iconic notebooks, Flow brings the pen and paper experience to your screen – ideal if carrying around the physical copies is a little too clunky for your liking.
With customizable paper types and a variety of different virtual pens, this app will enable you to write up documents, drag and drop them so you can multitask, and even doodle while you’re thinking. With research in ‘Applied Cognitive Psychology’ suggesting that doodling is actually beneficial for your productivity levels, you can unleash your creativity guilt-free!
Make the most of your time and try one of these apps today!
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