4 Mac Apps That Will Help You Become More Focused and Productive

It doesn't matter whether you are finishing a work presentation on your computer or just getting your homework, there will always be some form of distraction to keep you from accomplishing your task. Such distractions can be in the form of checking your emails or Facebook feed, listening to online radio, browsing for the latest in lifestyle, fashion, or anything that interests you.

If you happen to be a Mac user, there are some apps that can help you ward off those distractions and keep you focused on what needs to be done right away. These apps block those services that it thinks you don't need at the moment. So, if that's what you're looking for right now, check out the apps below.

1. SelfControl

We all know that one of the most distracting things when working on a computer is the Internet. If you know that your computer has Internet access, it's hard to fight the urge not to open a browser and head to your favorite site or check your Facebook feed. Well, SelfControl lets you block websites you don't want to be distracted by, and it keeps them blocked as long as you want them to be. When the time restriction is up, you can then be able to access those websites you've blocked a while ago.

The app's blacklist is where you can specify those websites that you want to be blocked while you're working on something urgent on your Mac. All the websites you have indicated on the said list will not be accessible until the specified time is over.

The SelfControl app can be downloaded for free from its official website.

2. Focus

Basing on its name, the Focus app helps you stay focused on your actual work by preventing you from accessing social media and other sites on all the browsers on your Mac. You have the liberty to choose which sites you want to be blocked, including Facebook, Reddit, and IMs. Once you have blocked a website, you will see an inspirational quote, which you can customize yourself, to help you get motivated and finish your task right away.

Focus is a geek-friendly app that allows you to use its functions via the Terminal. A few commands from the Terminal, and you should be able to accomplish your work with the app's aid You can download either the trial or the paid version from its official website.

3. WriteRoom

If you're a writer and don't want to get distracted by anything while you're composing your work, then WriteRoom is the perfect app for you. Unlike any other text editor, the app doesn't have any page layouts, tables, or graphs. It's just a plain blank space, so that you can focus on the only thing that you need to do -- write.

And while you're so busy composing that great blog article, it's easy to forget to save your work. There's no need to worry about that part because WriteRoom has an auto-save feature, so that you don't lose your precious work in the event of any unfortunate incident.

WriteRoom is available in both free and paid versions.

4. Time Out

Stressed too much? Time Out is an app that reminds you to take a break once in a while, so you don't get tensed too much and give your tired mind a breather. This app helps you relax and move around after you have been working on your task for quite some time. Included as well is the micro break function that reminds you to take a break, say every ten minutes, and relax for a bit. Sometimes, when we get too much involved in our work, we tend to forget to take a quick break.

Luckily, you can get the Time Out app free of charge from its official website.

Tips You Should Know to Make the Most Out of Your Kindle Paperwhite

With the ability to hole more than 1,000 books in its slim built and thousands more that can be stored in the cloud, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite puts a library in your pocket. There's no need to clip on a bulky book light since the Kindle Paperwhite features an edge lighting, while its X-Ray features lets you follow along with every motion of a character or term without frenzied flipping. If in case you want to know how far you've got till you reach the end of the book, you can simply check on the slider along the bottom of the digital page.

So here are some quick tips and tricks to get the most out of your Kindle Paperwhite. If you want to change the number of words you want to see per page, a simple flick of your fingers can change the font size. If you want to save some battery life, just go to your Kindle's menu and switch it to airplane mode whenever you're not downloading books. Well, these are just the basics. So if you want to know more about your Kindle Paperwhite, read on.

Remove Books You Don't Wan't

Kindle is bundled with free pre-loaded books, which is great, but what if you don't like some of those books that Amazon's Selection? To fix this, press and hold the title and select Remove From Device option that will appear. What's nice is that you can re-download them to your Paperwhite later on. Buf if in case you want to permanently delete them from your Amazon account, log in from a browser add then go to Manage Your Content and Devices. Once there, go to your Content tab, then go to Show, and then headto the category where the unwanted book appear. Select the book you wish to be remove, then select Delete, and then confirm that you want to delete it permanently.

Extracurricular Activities

Aside from the main reason of buying a Kindle Paperwhite to read, you can also use it for games and app. Amazon has a Kindle Active Content that run on E Ink devices. Here, you can practice yoga, play Sudoku, or write down your thoughts on a notepad.

Organize Your Book Collection

having too many books on your Kindle is just the same way as too many apps cluttered on your smartphone's Home screen. If you want to keep things neat and tidy on your Kindle, head to Menu, select Create New Collection, and then type the name of your book collection. Check the box next to each book you want to appear in the said collection, and then select Done. If you want to add books to the collection later on, just go to the home screen, hold down the book cover, and an Add to Collection option will appear.

Take a Snapshot

You can also take a screenshot if you would like to save what you see on your Kindle's screen, similar to a smartphone. Kindle Paperwhite is the only Kindle e-reader that has this functionality. To do this, simultaneously tap either the upper-right corner and lower-left corner of the screen. You should see a flash, indicating that the screen has been snapped and saved. to view you saved screenshot, connect your Kindle to a computer and you should be able to see the image in the root folder (in PNG files).

Highlight Your Favorite Part

This is similar to the old school practice of using a yellow marker to highlight your favorite phrase, quote, or statement from book. If you miss doing this, then this feature of Kindle Paperwhite may just be on of your favorites. You can also see all your highlights in one place -- just go to Kindle Highlights Page.