Concentrating? There’s An App For That.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 by Luke Turcotte Last week David explored some ways to eliminate distractions while studying, I’m here to add another tool to your arsenal. Concentrate from Rocket Software (getconcentrating.com) is an OS X application that allows you to block certain applications and domains depending on the context you are working in (GTD
much?). Allow me to give an example. When it’s time to study, I simple choose the Study action that I’ve configured in Concentrate. The app then closes Tweetie, NetNewsWire and blocks Facebook, Digg and ESPN.com. You have complete control over what actions the app performs in each context, just drag actions from over from the library in the context edit menu. Concentrate sets a timer for the activity you are performing and displays the time left in the menubar. Once the time runs down, your locked apps and domains are liberated.
There’s nothing stopping you from ending the timer prematurely so that you can creep around Facebook, but the small nudge Concentrate gives you is usually enough to keep you focused.
Concentrate is a paid application at $29.00, but the demo version is hindered only by a 60 hour use limit. I’ve set a personal goal to use up my 60 hours by the end of this semester’s exam period. I challenge you to do the same.
Similar applications exist for those in the Windows world, but none are as elegant as Concentrate. Sorry.
Give it a shot, post your experience in the comments.
Happy cramming, er... studying!
Reader Comments (6)
Another useful app I found is called Self Control. The feature I like the most with it is that you can not turn it off. I set it for 45 minutes when studying or writing papers. Best part, it's free.
Thanks for the tip.
I gave the developers site a quick read, can you block applications from being used with Self-Control as well?
Another viable solution, especially for the broke college student.
Great application!I have used this application and it works so nicely.The most feature i like is record spoken messages that help to keep you going and alter your iChat/Skype status to keep friends from bugging you.So if you really want to concentrate then this the best application for you.Go get it.Its so good.Good luck.
hoodia gordonii
Interesting. Do you know of any similar programs for Linux or Windows?
Without Concentrate I would still be stuck writing my master's thesis. One of its most useful features is that you can set audible cues at set intervals. For example, I would set my study periods to include the sound of a ticking clock every three minutes. It was subtle but it worked for me. I would use this along with it's support for Growl notifications, etc.
I also got a 50% student discount on the program. It wasn't advertised on the site, but I emailed and asked if they had anything available.
For me, even at the full price, this elegant little app was worth every penny.
I found a product called SelfControl just as useful and it is FREE. The only thing it dosen't have is the ability to have multiple, pre-made block lists, but for free, I can get past it.