In many ways, the digital revolution is just getting started, yet it is already reshaping our lives as much as the birth of agriculture or the industrial revolution. Our technologies are the stuff of science fiction, and not always in a good way. Writer’s like HG Wells, George Orwell, Isaac Asimov and others foresaw many of the pitfalls that we are encountering on our never-ending march towards some kind of technological singularity. 

One of them was the potential for technology to be used as a tool for mass distraction. Kind of like a modern-day digital Roman colosseum. While most futurists pondering such topics tended to concern themselves with the ability of governments to control people and enforce authoritarian rule (which is certainly happening in many parts of the world), some also predicted the rise of corporate giants that would compete for our money, data and, above all, our attention.

In 2020, roughly $587 billion was spent on advertising worldwide, while countless billions more go into developing technologies meant to attract our attention and keep it for as long as possible. Since you’re reading an article about focus apps, it’s probably fair to assume you don’t possess that single-minded zealotry about productivity and growth that is the hallmark of all space cowboys – rest assured, that’s a good thing. It also means that, alas, like the rest of us, you have to navigate the treacherous waters of digital distraction on your quest for optimum productivity.

So, back to the question at hand, can a focus app tip the scales in your favour?

Unless you’re planning on joining an Amish community, recreating Robinson Crusoe or otherwise totally disconnecting from the 21st century, having to spend at least some time in front of screens is fact of life – and let’s be honest, who doesn’t enjoy a good film or a sneaky round of Candy Crush from time to time?

In that sense, the most sensible question to ask is how much screen time is too much?

As most of us already know, the answer to this question is different depending on who you are.

Most experts agree that children under 5 should be exposed to screens as little as possible, and only for educational purposes.

For older children and adults, there are no set guidelines.

Nevertheless, based on the fact that we now know that excessive screen time can lead to weight gain & obesity, sleep problems, chronic neck and back problems, mental health issues such as depression & anxiety, as well as decreases in many metrics of cognitive performance, reducing it wherever possible seems to be the most prudent choice.

Fortunately, cutting down the amount of time you spend in front of screens is not only relatively simple, it also opens up plenty of other options for having fun and has a wide array of secondary benefits.

Here are six ideas for how to better regulate your screen time:

Before understanding how binaural beats work, or if they work at all, we need to unpack what they actually are. As the name suggests, a binaural beat is the combination of two distinct sounds that creates one indistinguishable beat. These two slightly different frequencies are played in tandem to create an effect in the brain called brainwave entrainment. Also known as brainwave synchronization or neural entrainment, this effect occurs when the brain synchronizes brainwave frequencies with an external stimulus. Proponents of binaural beats claim that this effect can be used to create neural firing patterns that correspond with various states of consciousness that are beneficial for everything from sleep to studying (more on this later).

The science is complicated yet the idea is really quite simple and possibly even brilliant, although the jury is still out on that last part. For now, despite the fact that a number of studies have been done on the subject, there is no hard scientific proof of the efficacy (or lack thereof) of binaural beats. However, there is plenty of strong anecdotal evidence that they do help people. Even if this does turn out to be largely a placebo effect, it might be one that works for you.

Even if you’ve never heard of Shiny Object Syndrome, (not an actual medical condition), you’ve probably already got some idea of what it is based purely on the name itself.

If you’ve spent much time around young children, you’ll notice that not many things satisfy them for long. As soon as they get their hands on to the object of their desires, they’re after something else. It’s this constant desire for the “latest and greatest” that characterizes SOS rather than a biological attraction to shiny objects.

While it may just be a pop-cultural psychological concept, it’s real enough to do serious damage to your productivity. In it’s more extreme forms, SOS leads to massive wastage of time, money and energy. Besides our insatiable need for new stuff that we often don’t really need, many modern people living in developed societies also struggle to focus on just a single objective at a time or struggle to see projects through to completion. This is understandable when you consider that we live in a world so packed full of options and stimuli that it’s impossible to ever run out of new things or ideas to get attracted to.

In the rest of this article, we’ll explore some of the most common causes of Shiny Object Syndrome, the effects it can have on your productivity and methods for breaking free from the habit.

Before last year, working from home was seen as the preserve of small business owners, techies and freelancers. Now that much of the population and most businesses have had a taste of this totally different way of doing things and pandemic related restrictions are gradually being lifted, will we stick to it or return to our traditional places of work? The answer to this question will be different depending on the country, industry and company you work in. You may even have a say in this yourself if your employer decides to switch to the hybrid work model that is gaining traction around the world. In that sense, it’s important to get a handle on the work from home vs office debate as you aim to maximize your productivity by getting the best of both worlds.

Based on your personality, life circumstances and what you do for a living, you probably already have a decent idea about whether you prefer remote work, time in the office or a combination of the two. In case you’re still deciding or are simply interested in the nuances of this debate and how it might affect us on a societal level, here are some things to consider: