Selfocus

What's one (or probably the most important) of the ways to get work done efficiently? If you're thinking - by eliminating distractions, then you are without a doubt correct.

Considering the number of distractions that are always just one click away in the online world, the best place to start eliminating distractions is the browser.

This is where Selfocus might come in handy. It's somewhat of a typical Chrome extension that provides you with a bunch of productivity tools and a website blocker.

While by no means revolutionary, make no mistake, it's quite effective at what it does.

To start with, Selfocus replaces the boring and generic new tab page of your Chrome browser with something called a "personal dashboard."

You can assign goals for the day, create work sessions, manage how often you want to take breaks and their lengths, as well as block distracting websites, and even create to-do lists.

Add some inspiring nature backgrounds, some uplifting quotes, and some relaxing "zen" music, and you might just found the perfect companion for your workdays.

One of the best things about Selfocus is its simplicity. Its minimalistic design makes it remarkably easy to open a new tab and assign your daily goals.

Another neat aspect is the fact that you can manage your to-do list as you see fit during your work sessions. For example, you can assign tasks for a specific work session and remove them from the list as you get work done.

You can also mute the background music, as well as pause the work sessions with just a few mouse clicks. After you've entered your goals and tasks for the day, the extension asks you about the websites you want to block. Of course, you can add any domain of your choosing but, thankfully, the extension also provides you with a list of popular recommendations (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and so forth).

Then, is Selfocus worthy of your attention? Well, if you're really committed to improving your work nothing beats self-discipline. It's also true that your work might be a bit too complex for this simple extension.

However, for what it is, Selfocus does a great job of eliminating distractions in a straightforward and approachable manner and that's exactly why you should at least give it a try and see if it fits your particular work style.