8 Great Apps To Help Project Managers Block Online Distractions

It is so easy to get distracted at work, no matter how much you love your job in project management. If you're struggling to keep yourself focused on the task in hand, these 8 great apps will help you.

Everyone who’s working in project management has done it – you are sitting at your computer and the mind wanders. Or the fingers gain their own momentum and you find yourself laughing at animal videos on YouTube or chatting with a friend about their crisis on Facebook. No matter how many project management courses you have or how strong your willpower is, sometimes distractions get through. Here are eight great apps that will help you block out those online distractions.

KeepMeOut

KeepMeOut is available for any of the main browsers and makes a series of bookmarks to which you add the favourite sites you use. Then rather than just opening a site, say Facebook, you use the link through the app. It lets you limit how long you can be on any particular site and even block yourself from accessing them for certain times of the day.

SelfControl

If you are running a Mac PC, then there is a similar app to KeepMeOut called SelfControl that blocks websites for as long as you want and stops you trailing off to do some window shopping or check out the latest bargains on eBay.

StayFocused

StayFocused is useful if you need to visit websites as part of your work but don’t want to get side tracked by the wrong websites. You can customise the app with a huge amount of detail including times and days that you don’t want to access a site while still being able to use those sites that are used within your project management framework.

Isolator

Another one for Mac users, Isolator makes you focus on the tab you are using and isolates it from all others with their wonderful distractions. It works through the simple click of an icon on the menu bar so some willpower is still needed.

Cold Turkey

This one’s a bit harsh but if you are a compulsive social network checker, it may be vital to saving you time in the day. Cold Turkey stops you visiting the websites that you have pre-set as those to be avoided and there’s no handy override. You may have a pressing urge to check the latest photos on Pinterest but this app is the boss – you can’t change it once set so there’s no pinning until it lets you!

TomatoTimer

TomatoTimer works on the new work concept called Pomodoro. This is where you work for short bursts with regular small breaks. The app doesn’t block websites but it keeps track of your time so you can fit in your five minutes of Candy Crush in a schedule in line with the work ethic.

Time Out

Time Out is another one to use to schedule breaks in your time, and allows you to set up a break every so often. You can set up a micro-break every ten minutes and a bigger break every hour, for example.

Freedom Need to force yourself off the internet to do some work? Then Freedom may be the app for you. It costs around £6 and simply stops the internet connection for a specific amount of time. This means no matter how much you might want to check the news, there’s simply no

The author has written and published articles on a wide range of topics including Small Business Advice, Tax and Accounting, Interior Design, House Renovation and Project Management.