LeechBlock (Firefox) ? Specify what sites you want to block in Firefox, and when to block them.
StayFocusd (Chrome) ? Choose certain sites to block, and you get 10
minutes total (by default) per day to go on those time-wasting sites. You 51
can change the time allotted for time-wasting sites, and you can also ?nuke?
(block) all sites for a time you specify.
Readability (bookmarklet, Chrome extension) ? clears the clutter on any web article or blog post you want to read. Removes everything ? ads, icons, widgets, and more ? and just leaves the content in a nice, uncluttered, readable design. Quietube does the same for videos.
Windows
Dark Room ? WriteRoom clone for Windows.
CreaWriter ? Distaction-free writing tool inspired by OmmWriter (above), with a peaceful background, full-screen writing, soothing ambient sound, and not much else.
Q10 ? Full-screen text editor with a timer for focused writing, typewriter sounds as you type if you want them. Freeware.
WriteMonkey ? new entry into the full-screen editor field. In the words of the makers: ?Zenware for full screen distraction free creative writing. No whistles and bells, just empty screen, you and your words. WriteMonkey is light, fast, and perfectly handy for those who enjoy the simplicity of a typewriter but live in modern times.?
Other
Emacs ? One of the classic text editors (vim is a good alternative and we won?t into which is better here), Emacs runs on all platforms (PC, Mac, Linux) and can hid the menu bar (M-x menu-bar-mode) and tool bar (M-x tool-bar-mode) in any operating system, and can hide also the window title bar in most Linux window managers.
Typewriter ? A minimalist text editor that runs in Java (which can run on most operating systems ? Mac, Windows, Linux). All you can do is type in one direction. You can?t delete, you can?t copy, you can?t paste. You can 52
save and print. And you can switch between black text on white and green on black; full screen and window. Perfect for writing without stopping, and getting out that first draft.
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section iii.
simplify
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1: creating an uncluttered environment
?If your mind isn?t clouded by unnecessary things, then this is the best season of your life.?
? Wu-Men
Imagine you?re trying to create your masterpiece ? a work that will change your life and perhaps make the world a better place in some small way.
You?re at your computer, making it happen, at a desk piled with clutter, surrounded by clutter on the floor and walls, in the middle of a noisy workplace, phones ringing. A notification pops up ? you have a new email
? so you open your email program to read it and respond. You get back to work but then another notification pops up ? someone wants to chat with you, so you go on IM for a little bit. Then your Twitter client notifies you of some new replies, and you check those. Then you see some paperwork on your desk you need to file, so you start doing those.
But what happened to your masterpiece? It never gets done in a cluttered, scattered workspace like this.
Now imagine a different workspace: a clear desk, with only a couple of essential items on it. A clear computer desktop, with no icons to distract you. There?s nothing on the floor around you, and very little on the walls.
You have some nice ambient music to block out surrounding noise (perhaps using headphones), and there are no notifications that pop up to interrupt you. All you have on your computer is one open program with one open window, ready to work on your masterpiece.
The difference is striking, and it illustrates the importance of an uncluttered workspace with few interruptions, when it comes to focusing.
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This is true not only of an office workspace, but of anywhere you want to focus: at home, outside, at a coffeeshop where you want to do some work.
The less clutter and distractions you have, the better you?ll be able to focus.
How to Get Started
