Wondering which anti-procrastination apps can help you become a master of your time?
Look no further. Today’s post gives you a rundown of the best apps for overcoming procrastination and developing better time-management skills.
But before we get into that, let’s talk a bit about people’s tendency to procrastinate and the effects of doing so.
The Effects of Procrastination
Procrastination has both positive and negative consequences. Here are some of the eye-opening effects of procrastination.
Positive Effects (the consequences of procrastination when it’s done intentionally)
Negative Effects
The apps featured below are designed to help you get started and keep going on projects, tasks, and other to-dos.
They help keep track of your productivity. In addition, many of them provide insightful feedback on how you use your time each day.
Read on to check out apps that help you achieve better time management skills and keep procrastination at bay.
1. Rize
Cost: A free tier is available, as well as two types of paid tiers starting at $9.99 per month.
Best for: Improving productivity by establishing better time-management skills and effective work habits.
We all want to improve our productivity when it comes to work. This app not only helps with that, but it also lets you level up your time-management skills.
Rize works by automatically tracking everything you do on your computer. It is available both for MacOS and Windows.
The app provides a detailed daily or weekly report on your activities on the computer, giving you insight into how you spend your work hours.
The results of the report can motivate you more to focus on those activities that boost your productivity, thereby getting rid of procrastination once and for all.
2. Focus@Will
Cost: Free, with in-app purchases starting at $6.99
Best for: Achieving focus with the help of music
Check out their Website!
Apple Store | Google Play
Do you often get so distracted that it’s hard to finish important tasks? Here’s a science-backed app that can help you achieve and maintain deep focus through music.
It offers a vast library of tunes proven to get you into a flow state within 20 minutes of listening. The app also has a tracker and timer to monitor how productive you are during a focus session.
3. Freedom
Cost: Free, with in-app purchases starting at $8.99
Best for: Blocking distracting apps and websites to help you stay on task
Check out their Website!
Apple Store | Google Play
Do you often find yourself immersed for hours in social media, despite an important deadline coming up?
This app can help curb procrastination and social media addiction by blocking websites and apps that cause distraction when you’ve got important things to do. You can set a schedule when these apps and websites should be inaccessible.
The app works across different devices, ensuring that you’re free from distractions while working on your tablet, computer, or phone.
4. Mindly
Cost: Free, with in-app purchases starting at $6.99
Best for: Organizing your thoughts so you can focus on the important stuff
Check out their Website!
Apple Store | Google Play
Sometimes, procrastination stems from being overwhelmed with so many thoughts running through your head that it’s difficult to move into the right direction. A brain dump can ease the constant chatter in your head.
If you are looking for something that can help you organize your thoughts and ideas so you can finally focus on the important stuff, Mindly is the best app for that.
You can use this app for brainstorming, writing down ideas, making a writing draft, preparing for a speech or a presentation, and taking notes in class.
5. Focus Keeper
Cost: Free, with in-app purchases available starting at $0.99
Best for: Pomodoro-style time keeping
Check out their Website!
Apple Store | Google Play
The Pomodoro Technique is an effective strategy for beating procrastination. This app was developed based on this technique to help you achieve better productivity and prevent burnout.
Its main feature is a timer designed for 25-minute sessions so you can stay focused and do your work uninterrupted.
The work session and break intervals can be adjusted. Furthermore, you can choose from several types of white noise to enhance your focus.
6. The Most Dangerous Writing App
Cost: Free
Best for: Deep-focus writing
Need to get that first draft done before the deadline? If you’re a writer, overcoming distractions can be one of the main challenges in finishing your first draft.
Here is an app that offers a unique solution to the problem: Everything you write on its interface disappears if you stop typing for five seconds.
This might be a drastic solution, but it is one way for the users of the app to achieve the focus they need to get things done.
7. Study Bunny
Cost: Free, with in-app purchases available starting at $1.99
Best for: Gamified study mode
Check out their Website!
Apple Store | Google Play
Here’s a cool study app that encourages you to focus more on studying and less on screen time. The app works for users of all ages.
This is a gamified focus timer featuring a cute bunny you need to take care of. Completing study schedules earns the user coins that they can use to buy food and accessories for the bunny.
This app also lets you create flashcards you can study for upcoming quizzes and tests.
8. Take a Five
Cost: Free
Best for: Getting back on task after a break
There are people who find it difficult to get back on task after taking a break. Fortunately, there’s an app that helps you do exactly that.
This app is basically a web-based timer that allows you to set breaks (three pre-set ones and the option to customize the length of your break).
It then lets you choose what you want to do online for the duration of your break (i.e., to browse the Internet or play some online games).
Once you’ve clicked on a logo, the app redirects you to the web/game site. The tab “self-destructs” when your break time is over.
9. Tomato Timers
Cost: Free
Best for: Completing your daily to-dos Pomodoro style
Check out their Website!
Google Play
Here is another app developed using the Pomodoro technique. With this app, however, you’re not merely setting a timer for your tasks. It also has a built-in to-do list. Now, you can accomplish each task using the customizable Pomodoro timer.
The app also provides progress reports so that you are aware of how productive you’ve been for the entire week.
10. Todoist
Cost: Free, with option to upgrade starting at $5 per month
Best for: Focus and organization for the whole family
Check out their Website!
Apple Store | Google Play
Todoist is a tool that helps you manage your time, organize your daily life, and achieve focus during work hours.
It allows for collaborations on goals, tasks, schedules, lists, etc., making Todoist the ideal anti-procrastination app for the whole family.
11. Habitica
Cost: Free, with in-app purchases available starting at $1.00
Best for: Providing motivation to accomplish daily tasks
Check out their Website!
Apple Store | Google Play
Habitica is one of the best gamification apps for overcoming procrastination.
At its core, this app is a goal tracker. It uses RPG elements to motivate you to accomplish your tasks.
Final Thoughts
We’ve all experienced procrastination at different points in our lives. And contrary to popular belief, a brief period of procrastination is beneficial to gain new ideas if one is working on a creative project.
The problem is when procrastination becomes a habit. It can cause stress and anxiety, as well as poor-quality output.
Procrastination apps like the ones featured in this post can help users manage their time better and completely overcome the habit of procrastination.
Depending on your needs when it comes to improving your time-management skills, there is likely an app out there that’s ideal for you. We hope you’ve found a favorite among the ones featured here today.
Finally, if you need more resources about better time-management, work habits, and productivity, here are some posts worth checking out:
Finally, if you want to level up your productivity and time management skills, then watch this free video about the 9 productivity habits you can build at work.