It’s hard to be productive when there are distractions everywhere you turn on the Internet. To keep yourself accountable, you can outsource your self-discipline to a piece of software on your computer or phone to make sure you don’t make self-defeating choices. Below, find a list of helpful self-control software (including one named Self Control!)
Freedom (Mac and iPhone)
Freedom is a powerful Internet-restricting piece of software for macOS. It can disable Internet access for as long as you want, even if you restart your computer! Its power can make it dangerous, though–if you realize you need access to the Web once the block starts, you’re completely out of luck. But for times when you just need to buckle down and get something done, Freedom can be a lifesaver. https://freedom.to/
FocusMe (PC, Mac, Android, iPhone)
FocusMe is less well-known than some of the other entries on this list, but it’s a strong contender for the title of best accountability app. The software has numerous options to decide exactly which sites you want to block, for how long, and lets you toggle lots of options to prevent you from disabling the software. It also has a handy auto-break feature, useful if you tend to get stuck to your office chair for hours at a time. You can tell the software to make you take a break every X minutes, and when the time has elapsed your screen will go blank and only show a reminder to take a break. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need to snap yourself out of your email stupor and go for a walk! https://focusme.com/
Delayed Gratification (Chrome extension)
If you use Google’s Chrome browser, you know that Autofill can be a blessing and curse. It’s so easy to open a new tab and type “f”, then let Autofill bring you to Facebook. If you find yourself revisiting a few addictive sites over and over, even when there’s nothing new to see, this browser extension can help you break out of that habit loop. You just tell the extension which sites you’re trying to resist and how long the delay period should be. When you visit, say, Facebook, the extension will make you wait for up to 30 seconds before accessing the site. That way you have a chance to make a better decision by closing the tab, before all the attention-sucking info comes onto your screen. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/delayed-gratification/ifhndomfnbmggdgodaicfebeggdphlcn?hl=en
