Best Mac Procrastination Apps
Anti-Porn Pro is one of the best cloud-based web filtering application protecting you from the temptation of, ahem, procrastination by browsing by monitoring millions of websites. Try access PornHub or YouPorn and it’ll simply block you from seeing the page. It’s by no means perfect but it’ll be a nice reminder to get back to work! 7 Productivity-Boosting Tools to Fight Procrastination By Sarah Ang 2013-06-13 13:25:27 UTC You're doing it again — spending too much valuable time on Twitter and Facebook. Meditation helps you center your thoughts, calm down, and stop that self-fulfilling cycle of procrastination, anxiety, and more procrastination. With an app like Simple Habit, you can tap into those benefits during a marathon desk session. Be Focused also uses the Pomodoro Technique to combat procrastination and fuel productivity. This is the best app of its kind for desktop users, but it’s unfortunately only available on Macs. I loved having the timer visible at the top of my screen at all times so I could see how long I had until my next break.
Everyone procrastinates, but that doesn’t mean it’s inevitable.
You can stop procrastinating today. But you might need some help understanding why you do it and how you can stop. Here, you can learn why procrastination happens, find some easy tips to stop procrastinating now, and arm yourself with useful anti-procrastination tools.
Why we procrastinate
Because we’re wired to seek instant gratification. Chances are good that you have Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter pulled up in another window on the device you’re using to read these very words. And it’s so tempting to keep checking it, right? There’s a reason for that: research suggests that instant gratification has a stronger effect on our behavior than delayed gratification.
Because we think we should be perfect. Procrastination and perfectionism often go hand in hand. Perfectionists tend to procrastinate because they expect so much of themselves, and they are scared about whether they can meet those high standards. Perfectionists sometimes give a half-hearted effort in order to maintain the belief that they could have written a great paper if only they had tried their best. They are afraid of trying their best and still producing a paper that is just okay.
Because we don’t like what we need to do. You may procrastinate on writing because you don’t like to re-read what you have written; you hate writing a first draft and then being forced to evaluate it. By procrastinating, you ensure that you don’t have time to read over your work, thus avoiding that uncomfortable moment.
Because we’re too busy. When we overbook our calendars, it’s easy to avoid the things we don’t want to do, even if we need to do them.
How to tame procrastination
Take an inventory
Keeping track of when you procrastinate with a weekly planner can help you figure out when you procrastinate and can help you stop the behavior. It’s easy to do: whenever you procrastinate, mark it down. Think about clues that can alert you: for example, a nagging voice in your head, a visual image of what you are avoiding or the consequences of not doing it, physical ailments (stomach tightness, headaches, muscle tension), inability to concentrate, or inability to enjoy what you are doing.
Create a productive environment
If you’ve made the decision to stop delaying on a particular project, it’s critical to find a place to work where you have a chance of getting something done. Your dorm room may not be the place where you’re most productive. UNC’s many libraries offer great places to work. Make sure to find your study space before it’s time to be productive; otherwise, finding the perfect space could turn into a form of procrastination itself!
When you’re in a productive space, eliminate digital distractions. Pull up the materials you need on your laptop, and turn the Wi-Fi off and put your phone on airplane mode.
Challenge your myths
Think of a project that you are currently putting off. On one side of a piece of paper, write down all the reasons for your delay. On the other side, argue against the delay.
Myth #1: “I can’t function in a messy environment. I can’t possibly work on this project until I have cleaned my apartment.”
Challenge: If, when faced with a project, you start piling up prerequisites for all the things you must do before you can possibly start working, consider whether you might in fact be making excuses—in other words, procrastinating.
Myth #2: “I do my best work under pressure.”
Challenge: There are other ways to create pressure for yourself besides waiting until the night before the project is due before you start working on it. You can set a time limit for yourself—for example, “I will write this paragraph in half an hour”–or you can pretend that the assignment is a timed exam. If you do this a week or two before the assignment is due, you’ll have a draft in plenty of time to revise and edit it.
Myth #3: “In order to be productive, I must have two uninterrupted hours.”
Challenge: You can and should work on assignments in one hour blocks (or shorter). This will help you break the task down into smaller pieces, thereby making it seem more manageable. If you know that you can work on one part of the project for one hour, then it won’t seem so daunting, and you will be less likely to procrastinate. Some people find, however, that they do need longer blocks of time in order to really produce anything. Therefore, like all of the strategies outlined here, know yourself.
Break it down
The day you get an assignment, break it up into the smallest possible chunks. Using the Learning Center’s weekly action plan can help. When you break a project down, it never has a chance to take on gargantuan proportions in your mind. If you’re working on a research paper, for example, you can say to yourself, “Right now, I’m going to write the introduction. That’s all, just the introduction!” And you may be more likely to sit down and do that, than you will to sit down and “write the paper.”
Ask for help
Get an anti-procrastination buddy. Tell someone about your work goal and timeline, and ask them to help you determine whether or not your plan is realistic. You can do the same for him or her. Once or twice a week, email your buddy to report on your progress, and declare your promise for the next week. If, despite your good intentions, you start procrastinating again, don’t think, “All is lost!” Instead, talk to your buddy about it. He or she may be able to help you put your slip into perspective and get back on track.
You can also make a one-on-one appointment with one of the Learning Center’s academic coaches and create an accountability structure with him or her. Mac app store sketchbook.
Learn how to tell time
One of the best ways to combat procrastination is to develop a more realistic understanding of time. Our views of time tend to be fairly unrealistic. “This paper is only going to take me about five hours to write,” you think. “Therefore, I don’t need to start on it until the night before.” What you may be forgetting, however, is that our time is often filled with more activities than we realize. On the night in question, for instance, let’s say you go to the gym at 4:45 PM. You work out (1 hour), take a shower and dress (30 minutes), eat dinner (45 minutes), and go to a sorority meeting (1 hour). By the time you get back to your dorm room to begin work on the paper, it is already 8:00 PM. But now you need to check your email and return a couple of phone calls. It’s 8:30 PM. before you finally sit down to write the paper. If the paper does indeed take five hours to write, you will be up until 1:30 in the morning—and that doesn’t include the time that you will inevitably spend watching Netflix. And, as it turns out, it takes about five hours to write a first draft of the essay. You have forgotten to allow time for revision, editing, and proofreading. You get the paper done and turn it in the next morning. But you know it isn’t your best work, and you are pretty tired from the late night, and so you make yourself a promise: “Next time, I’ll start early!”
Make an unschedule
The next time you have a deadline, try using an unschedule to outline a realistic plan for when you’ll work. An unschedule is a weekly calendar of all the ways your time is already accounted for, so you include not only classes but also activities such as meals, exercise, errands, laundry, and socializing. This will give you an outline of the time that you spend doing other things besides studying.
An unschedule will reveal your blank spaces: these are the times to schedule work. By using these as a guide, you’ll be able to more accurately predict how much time you can study on any given day.
An unschedule might also be a good way to get started on a larger project such as a term paper or an honors thesis. You may think that you have “all semester” to get the writing done, but if you really sit down and map out how much time you have available to work on a daily and weekly basis, you will see that you need to get started sooner, rather than later.
Perhaps most importantly, an unschedule can help you see how you spend your time. You may be surprised at how much (or how little) time you spend on social media and decide to make a change. It’s especially important that you build time for fun activities into your unschedule. Otherwise, you might procrastinate because you need time for relaxation.
You can also use the unschedule to record your progress towards your goal. Each time you work on a paper, for example, mark it on the unschedule. One of the most important things you can do to kick the procrastination habit is to reward yourself when you write something, even if that writing is only a little piece of the whole. Seeing your success recorded will help reinforce the productive behavior, and you will feel more motivated to write later in the day or week.
Set a time limit
Okay, so maybe one of the reasons you procrastinate on working on a particular assignment is because you hate it! You would rather be at the dentist than sitting in front of your desk with this problem set staring you in the face. In that case, it may be helpful to set limits on how much time you will spend working on it before you do something else. While the notation “Must work on Hemingway essay all weekend” may not inspire you to sit down and write, “Worked on Hemingway essay for ½ hour” just might.
A lot of students find the Pomodoro Technique a helpful way to build in breaks. Pomodoro technique is simple: All you do is set a timer for 25 minutes, work during that time, and take a 5-minute break when the timer goes off. Rinse, repeat. It’s a great way of avoiding burnout!
Practice self-forgiveness
Research suggests that forgiving yourself for procrastinating in the past can help you procrastinate less in the future. It’s a way of acknowledging that procrastination is something you can change. Remember: The past is in the past. Let it go.
Take a social media hiatus
There are only so many cat pictures you can look at before social media becomes counterproductive. It can be detrimental to your GPA in two ways:
- By taking up your time: research suggests that hours spent on Facebook are negatively correlated to GPA.
- By taking up your attention: yet more research suggests that texting while studying interferes with your mental bandwidth and ability to deeply learn material.
What is to be done? You can take a social media hiatus. It’s simple: You can start by swearing off social media for two hours. You’ll be amazed at how many times you automatically move to check Twitter or Instagram. See if you can gradually build your endurance: Can you stay off social media for four hours? A day? A week? If you tame social media, you’ll have loads more time to work, play, and sleep.
Anti-Procrastination tools
Need some hiatus help? Check out some of the tools below.
- StayFocused: A free extension for Google Chrome (Mac OS X or PC) that lets you limit the amount of time you spend on time-suck sites. You specify sites you want to restrict and set the amount of time you’ll allow yourself to use them. After that point, the extension blocks the sites. if you procrastinate by surfing Wikipedia or social media sites, this would be a great option for you.
- SelfControl: This free app for Mac OS X lets you block sites you set and even email for a set amount of time. If you need an hour (or five!) of totally uninterrupted time, SelfControl makes focus easy.
- Freedom: This app works the same way as SelfControl, but it’s compatible with both Mac OS X and Windows.
- Post-it Notes: One tried-and-true solution is to leave yourself reminders to work in places you know you’ll see (like your bathroom mirror or coffee machine). If you prefer virtual sticky notes, applications are available for MacOS and for Windows.
Parting thoughts
As you explore why you procrastinate and experiment with strategies for working differently, don’t expect overnight transformation. You developed the procrastination habit over a long period of time; you aren’t likely going to break it all at once. But you can change the behavior, bit by bit. If you stop punishing yourself when you procrastinate and start rewarding yourself for your small successes, you will eventually develop new writing habits. And you will get a lot more sleep.
In addition to these tips, check out some of our other handouts and resources to help you with procrastination, such as our handouts on motivation, distractions, and digital distractions.
Works consulted
Ariely, D. and Wertenbroch, K. (2002). Procrastination, deadlines, and performance: self-control by overcommitment. Psychological Science 13(3), 219-224.
Burka, J. B. and Yuen, L. M. (1983). Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publ. Co.
Ellis, A., and Ellis, W. J. Overcoming Procrastination. New York: Signet Books, 1977.
Junco, R. (2012). Too much face and not enough books: The relationship between multiple indices of Facebook use and academic performance. Computers in Human Behavior 28(1), 187-198.
Junco, R. and Cotten, S. R. (2012). No A 4 U: The relationship between multitasking and academic performance. Computers & Education 59(2), 505-514.
Rice, K. G., Richardson, C. M. E. and Clark, D. (2012). Perfectionism, procrastination, and psychological distress. Journal of Counseling Psychology 59(2), 288-302.
Wohl, M. J. A., Pychyl, T. A. and Bennett, S. H. (2010). I forgive myself, now I can study: How self-forgiveness for procrastinating can reduce future procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences 48(7), 803-808.
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Ever caught yourself overwhelmed by work and trying to take a break for 10 minutes-or-so that ends in 2 hours of descending into the abyss of memes, cat videos and nearly absurd listicles of 10 moderately interesting things?
All the while experiencing terrible guilt and anxiety, you conclude that work is simply killing you, and you get back to another two hours of paperwork that turn out not as productive, but draining enough to leave you begging for another 10 minutes of rest, that ends in… oh, you know the story.
Poor work management is what undermines productivity, and, if you feel like you struggle to concentrate on stretched amounts of time, it’s likely you’ll benefit from the Pomodoro technique, which, in a nutshell, divides your workflow into chunks of 25 minutes of uninterrupted work and 5 minutes of rest.
Here’s how the basic process of using Pomodoro technique looks like:
- Choose a task you want to work on.
- Set the timer to 25 minutes, the standard Pomodoro duration.
- Work on the task until the timer rings, then check off your task in your to-do list.
- Take a short break of 5 minutes to do something not related to work like stretching, doodling, or making a call.
- After every 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break of 20-30 minutes. This will help you clear your head, recollect your thoughts and rest before the next batch of Pomodoro-style work.
When you want to get things done with Pomodoro, try PomoDone. PomoDone is the Pomodoro time tracking app that probably ranks number one across many listicles. Time tracking on this app is very easy, plus it really encourages you to take five, nudging you to enjoy your break. But the main reason why it is so favored by everyone is its plurality of integrations.
If you manage your to-do list yourself, you can integrate it with all the major task management apps like Todoist, Wunderist, Evernote, and then directly import your tasks on PomoDone. If you’re working in a company that makes use of a project management service, like Asana, Basecamp, Trello or any other, PomoDone is super useful to provide an overview of the time spent by each team member.
PomoDone is loved by: professionals; leaders or members of a team
Supported by: Web/Mac/Windows/Linux/iOS/Android
Pricing: FREE (premium monthly plans from $2.29 – $4.01)
Right now, as this article is being written, the time on the Focus Booster is counting 15 minutes and 40 seconds to the next break that will be signaled by a bell. The interface is simple and user-friendly, both for web and app versions, so with Focus Booster it’s pretty easy to start using the Pomodoro technique now.
What’s awesome is that upon registration you can watch their super helpful tutorials that explain how you can benefit from the technique and the timer. Probably the best feature of it is adding tags and client labels. If you’re a freelancer or an employee working on client-related tasks, you can even add your pricing rate, which makes your invoicing at the end of a month or project way easier.
You can also add manual entries to the work you haven’t tracked. After a good while of time tracking with or without Pomodoro technique, the stats are grouped into beautiful charts.
Focus Booster is loved by: data nerds; freelancers or employees who do hour-rate work for their clients.
Supported by: Web/Mac/Windows/iOS/Android
Pricing: FREE (premium monthly plans from $2.99 – $4.99)
Another twist on the same subject is brought by Pomodairo, an Adobe Air app, which provides the full experience of working with the Pomodoro technique. Pomodairo can serve as a simple Pomodoro timer, but it also helps you sort your tasks the most productive way.
Not only it tracks your tasks and how much time you spend on them, but it also tracks your interruptions, and your productive (but unplanned) work. If you’re interrupted, hit the interruption button, after which you will have to reset the timer for another 25 minutes to work on the task at hand.
Pomodairo is cross-platform and can be synchronized between your computers – it works wherever Adobe Air does. The best feature about it is that it also keeps a searchable log of your work and statistics, allowing you to analyse your work patterns and use of time.
Pomodairo is loved by: professionals working with Adobe, and those who are frequently interrupted.
Supported by: Mac/Windows/Linux
Pricing: FREE
If you’re craving for a super simple way of tracking time the Pomodoro way, or you just want to test out if the method suits your style of work, then go for Tomato Timer.
Coming only in the form of a browser app, it’s as simple as it gets – you can start, stop and reset the online timer, and you can tweak the settings to alter the lengths of each time period. It works on all major browser platforms, mobile versions included, but Chrome users have the added benefit of desktop notifications and an alarm.
Unlike Pomodairo, the app does not account for your task list or log, so if you want to keep a task list or a log of your work, you will have to use a separate app. However, it’s sufficient enough if you have only a few tasks on your plate, prefer to do your to-do list by hand, or just simply want to try this technique conceptually.
Tomato Timer is loved by: those who are new to Pomodoro technique.
Supported by: Web
Pricing: FREE
Another super easy free Pomodoro tracking app is Pomodoro Tracker. The interface is fairly similar to Tomato Timer, but the app is more superior in terms of functionality.
Pomodoro Tracker allows you to create an account, write a to-do list, categorize the tasks you’re tracking (work/personal), set a daily goal, and even compete with other productive people around the world, if you wish. This month, the record to this day is 226 hours that measures in 333 Pomodoro intervals. Can you beat the record?
Pomodoro Tracker is loved by: beginners or advanced users of Pomodoro technique, who seek simplicity.
Supported by: Web
Pricing: FREE
Back to more complex all-inclusive free time tracking apps, Focus To-Do is a free Pomodoro timer and a to-do list organizer all in one! It syncs over all your devices, making it easy to manage your to-do the Pomodoro way from anywhere, even from your smartwatch!
Create projects to categorize your sessions and set task priorities to organize which task you should execute first. Even though it offers you quite a lot even for the free plan, it’s a super easy-to-use task management app. This free Pomodoro time tracking app also comes with a trend chart of all your completed to-dos, so that you can look into your statistics on the time spent for each project.
Focus To-Do is loved by: those who need an advanced project management and time tracking app based on Pomodoro technique.
Supported by: Mac/Windows/iOS/Android
Pricing: FREE (premium plan $2.99/3 months)
If you thought time tracking and ticking off boxes in your to-do list isn’t fun, you’re wrong. Although there are some of us who get their daily thrills crossing off major and minor tasks (it does release a load of dopamine in our brain, in fact), there are some creative ways to make this process a bit more interesting.
Forest is a free time tracking app that features a twist on productivity – gamification. The concept is simple – it makes you plant a tree each time you want to focus on something. The tree will grow while you pay attention to it (read: the thing you have to do), and, once you leave the app, signaling a distraction, the tree will die.
Every day you can keep building your forest, with every single tree representing your time focused on a task or a project. Plus, a share of the virtual coins spent in the app is donated to their partner to order planting real trees on the Earth.
It’s a beautiful concept with practical application – the focus timer can be adjusted to Pomodoro technique, and detailed statistics give you an overview of your focus distribution according to a tag.
Forest is loved by: students and beginners, who need visual representation of their achievements.
Supported by: Web/iOS/Android
Pricing: FREE (additional in-app purchases)
For aesthetes that seek to improve their focus and mental wellbeing, this free Pomodoro time tracker app – Tide – will be a perfect fit. Those who are easily distracted by noise will also benefit greatly from Tide’s calming sound effects.
The app combines Pomodoro timer with white noise of natural sounds that will help you enter that flow state effortlessly. Plus, if you’re looking for an efficient way to declutter your mind on your break, try meditating with Tide.
The natural sounds will lull you into a meditative state (or a nap, if you’re a freelancer, you lucky bastard) and gently wake you up to help you continue being your most productive self. The app even cheers you up with daily inspiring quotes, and the selection of natural backgrounds is quite charming as well.
Tide is loved by: those who are seeking to improve productivity and mindfulness.
Supported by: Web/iOS/Android
Pricing: FREE
Now if something is a trend, you bet, it’s going to be on YouTube. If you just want to try out Pomodoro, a super budget-friendly option is going on YouTube and putting this simple timer in the background while you work. There are also music compilations of 25-30 minutes for you to keep the Pomodoro-suggested flow state while listening to relaxing beats or classical music.
A good tip is to add several of your favorite 25-minute mixtapes to your personal playlist, and rock on. The downside, however, to trying Pomodoro on YouTube is that it’s a dangerous zone that may even undermine your productivity, as the suggested videos may tempt you into procrastination.
The good side to it is that YouTube is accessible from everywhere, so you can even open the video from your smart TV, if you wish, plus you don’t have to download anything. If you’re looking for a company, you can let this YouTuber inspire you, as she studies for her finals while using the Pomodoro technique with or without background musicfor a total of 2 hours.
YouTube playlists are loved by: those who want to try out the Pomodoro technique.
Procrastination Apps For Windows 10
Supported by: any devices that can open YouTube
Pricing: FREE
If you feel that music aids your productivity, it’s likely that you’ve already discovered Spotify, and perhaps you even have your favorite work playlist that helps you smash through your to-do list in a better mood. But what if you combined your daily habit of listening to Spotify with the principles of the Pomodoro technique to gain the most out of your day?
Depending on your taste, there are hundreds of ready-made playlists built on 25-minute intervals of instrumental music and dope beats of approximately 5 minutes to celebrate your break, like this or this. The fun part is that if you’re a melomaniac and a playlist freak, you can simply create your own personalized productivity playlist, now that you know how the Pomodoro technique works.
Spotify playlists are loved by: music lovers who want to hack their productivity with their favorite jams.
Supported by: Web/Windows/Mac/Linux/iOS/Android
Pricing: FREE (premium from $9.99)
Best Mac Procrastination Apps Free
You thought we would go without mentioning our own software?! Sorry (not sorry), but in all seriousness, this is something we are super excited about so it can’t be left unsaid – Luxafor offers Pomodoro time tracking feature in the software!
Luxafor surely integrates with PomoDone, but you’re going to benefit from it the most if you’re a premium plan user of PomoDone app. However, the ingenious Pomodoro time tracking feature in Luxafor is completely free for use!
Procrastination Tools
If you don’t know it already, most Luxafor products, like Luxafor Flag, feature bright LED indicators that help you eliminate distractions and improve your focus in your workplace. Besides showing whether you’re available or not, the Pomodoro feature allows you to set your best office buddy to work as a coach for your Pomodoro technique!
Set up the time intervals for your focused work and break intervals, customize which pattern you’d like to show the start and end of Pomodoros, and you’ll be reminded when you need to take five, so that you feel well-rested and focused throughout the whole day!
We hope this article was useful and that you’ll try applying Pomodoro technique to your work. Who knows, maybe it’s the missing piece you always needed to make your office day more productive! Remember – success is not a big step in the future, success is a small step taken right now.
If you’d like to read more on how to improve productivity, take a look at this article on top 45 best productivity apps of 2020!