Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Productivity
Focus Booster helps you stay focused
by Jason Clarke Nov 2nd 2009 at 6:00PM
Distraction is the enemy of focus. If you work at a computer all day, the possibilities for distraction are limitless. One way to stay focused is to use the technique of a firmly regimented working period followed by a short break period that I first came across at Merlin Mann's 43 Folders site. His technique suggested using 10 minutes of work followed by 2 minutes of rest, but the recently popular Pomodoro Technique suggests using 25 and 5. Whatever periods you use, the cross-platform Adobe Air based Focus Booster application is just the timer you need to keep you on task.
Focus Booster is a tiny timer that allows you to set a work and rest period, then away you go. You can focus entirely upon your work knowing that a rest period is coming soon, and you can check out your Facebook / Twitter / blog comments / whatever it is you fancy when the time comes.
I don't know if this is a labor of love or merely the brainchild of four very gifted games designers, but Level Up is a really weird mash-up of gaming elements that you have probably never seen in a Flash game before.
Let's start with the premise itself: Groundhog Day meets Memento. The game experience revolves around 'days': you explore the world and the clock slowly ticks towards the evening. You bounce around picking up gems and talking to the denizens of 'Level Upland'. Eventually you feel tired and head back to ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Monica Dickey said 10:12PM on 11-02-2009
Hey interesting tool. I will definitely be trying this out. I was reading about a 50/10 work/break split being good for self disciplined productivity, but I never seem to be able to do it... Maybe this can keep me on task and I can see if it really helps me!
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yooo said 6:07AM on 11-13-2009
I'm trying this now, with the time management system it's made for.
Pretty good (I'm a terrible, terrible procrastinator)
Needs Adobe Air, which is a real resource hog - my fan is an all the time now, because I'm running something that is nothing more than a timer!!
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