You have a task or want to finish a project. Maybe you need to finish a report for your boss, writing a blog article or your thesis…

You feel motivated at night thinking about what you’ll get done the next day. But the motivation fades quickly and you end up asking yourself why you aren’t following through today.

You decide upon your goals with huge motivation, but it
doesn’t last very long.

• Just check email for a minute…
• Just reply to that comment on Facebook…
• Just watch that ONE video on Youtube…
• Just say hi to a friend who just logged onto Skype.

And before you know it, the DAY IS OVER.

Delay Discounter

Delay discounting is a mind trick recommend by behavioural scientists like Kelly McGonigal. Researchers found out that the longer you have to wait for a reward (e.g. checking your favourite social media site or playing a game online) the less it is worth to you. The reason is that your brain chooses immediate gratification at the cost of future rewards.
However, the good news is: Even small delays can dramatically lower the perceived value of any temptation.

In practice that means your urge to visit Facebook, Reddit, Youtube etc. or playing a game has only a narrow window of opportunity to overwhelm your brain. As soon as there is any distance between you and the temptation, the rational part of your brain takes over.

Commitment-Enhancer

Committing one’s future self to do the thing you KNOW you should be doing to achieve your goal.

Here is what scientists recommend:

1. Create a new default:

Make choices now when you are rational. Once you made your choice

2. Make it more difficult to reverse your preferences. Get rid of temptation when you need to work. FindFocus will not make it impossible that you procrastinate away from your computer but at least you won’t spend your time on Facebook, Youtube or Reddit.

The Problem:

We are rotational as long as everything is in theory but when the temptation is real, your brain shifts into reward-seeking mode to make sure you don’t miss out.

3. Motivate your Future Self

Pomodoro Timer

Use your favourite time management technique and stick to it! Whether you like to work in blocks of 25min and 5 minute breaks or 50min/10min or 43min/17min breaks

The FindFocus Pomodoro Timer let’s you create your perfect productivity sequence. profiles.

Just select your profiles, hit start and be “in the zone”. Every day!

NEW: Focus Pause

Need to look up something important without getting lost for 2 hours? There is no need to turn off the app. Just pause your focus mode for a few minutes without leaving it. Or use it as a reward to go to Facebook, Youtube or Reddit for a few minutes. Of course, the Focus Pause can be protected like the Focus Mode to make it harder to cheat.

About the Creator

Martin is the creator of the FindFocus Distraction and Website Blocker for Mac. He wants to help people working online like authors, journalists, students or developers to stay away from distracting websites like Youtube, Facebook or Reddit and/or applications like local email clients and games with automated schedules and breaks that will “force you” to implement the productive habits you already know you should be doing but always fail to do on a regular basis.

As a “Procrastination-Expert” Martin studies various experts in psychology, productivity, and willpower in order to create “technology to manage his habits” using the latest scientifically proven methods to increase productivity and overcome procrastination.