Top 10 Productivity Apps That Block Social Media While Working

Social media and productivity don't really go hand in hand, do they? One moment you're just in it for a quick update, then after a while, find yourself scrolling endlessly through your feed!

We've all been there, and it's so tempting to just skip work and talk to friends, watch videos, and stream your favourite shows. So how do we avoid this everyday temptation and productivity killer?

Obviously, one of the easiest ways to avoid getting distracted with your social media is by turning off notifications. But if you want to take it to the next level and work on a more productive 2021, here's a list of the most useful apps that block social media while working.

1. OFFTIME

OFFTIME filters and disconnects you different apps that distract you the most. Whether it’s social media, messaging, or games, you can block them during a specific time. You can also take advantage of different modes such as Work, Family, or Me Time to tailor your unplugging.

The app has comprehensive analytics where you can track your online habits. This allows you to study your most-used apps, and block them accordingly. OFFTIME also works great if you want to do social media detox but still want to use the essentials apps like calls and messaging.

Key features:

• Schedule your disconnection and unplugging time in advance
• Disconnect together with your family through its different modes
• Ability to disconnect on all your smartphones and devices
• Give daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly statistics to know your online habits
• Plenty of other customisation features

OFFTIME is available on both Android and iOS devices.

2. Freedom

Want to block distractions across all your devices? Freedom is the perfect productivity app for you. It doesn’t only block apps on your mobile phones, but also Windows, macOS, and Chrome devices! Aside from mobile apps, you can also block websites and even emails to keep every kind of distraction out of reach.

Once you turn on the blocking, a session is initiated everywhere! Freedom also uses VPN to stop notifications from flooding your devices. Keep in mind that it only connects your devices to a trusted server, guaranteeing the privacy and security of your data.

Key features:

• Strong focus on improving online well-being
• Blocks apps and websites across phones and computers
• Trusted VPN that blocks you access on distractions
• Lockdown mode where you can’t edit your blocklist
• Optional focus music and sounds for better focus

Freedom is available on both Android and iOS devices as well as Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Chrome devices, with affordable premium plans.

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3. Forest

If you want to put your effort to block distractions into good use, then download Forest now! You can virtually plant a tree if you meet your goal of not using your mobile phone. For example, if you haven’t used your phone for the last 30 minutes, your tree survives. Once you continuously meet your goals, you can create a forest eventually.

If you paid for the premium version, you can use the app to plant real plants! This is possible in partnership with Trees for the Future. It also gives you the choice to plant different tree species as well as sync it with different devices.

Key features:

• Unlock different tree varieties and earn rewards
• Compete with your friends on the lushness of your forest
• View your online habits through statistics
• Set customised list of distractions
• Monitor your focused time through the Apple Health App

Forest is available on both Android and iOS devices, as well as a Chrome extension. The app can be downloaded for free with the option to go premium.

4. AppDetox

Although you know it’s not the best to use Twitter or play Among Us while at work, you just can’t resist sometimes! To remind you to put your phone down, download AppDetox! You can set time limits for every app, and give non-distracting apps full access while you’re working.

AppDetox gives you statistics of every app you accessed during the day. This includes not only the total time used on the app, but also the number of their launches or opens. You can also filter the frequency to check your daily, weekly, or monthly usage.

Key features:

• Simple and easy-to-understand interface
• Set your own rules for your apps and notifications
• Alerts you when you’re violating your rules
• Has parental controls to limit your kids’ screen time
• Lock your apps through their app locker

AppDetox is available for free on all Android devices

5. SelfControl

You’re not only likely to use your mobile phone while at work! Your working machine — including your laptop or computer — can cause distractions to you too! If you’re using macOS as your daily driver, you should use SelfControl!

It blocks different websites, mail servers, or just about anything that distracts you! Once you set a blocklist, you can choose the amount of time these applications can’t be accessed. The great thing is, you can’t access the blocklist once it starts. This applies even if you restart or delete the application from your computer.

Key features:

• Aggressive blocking of apps and websites
• The only way to reverse the blocking is to reformat your computer completely

SelfControl is available on macOS for free!

6. Serene

Serene is designed not only to keep you away from distractions, but also to increase your productivity! It has deep focus features that keeps you on track in your daily schedule. You can set the time on how much you’re likely to spend on a certain task.

Aside from blocking and scheduling, you can also play optional ambient music. Every time you access the blocked apps, you’re alerted to help you focus too. A timestamp is shown on the screen to make sure you’re on the right track. It doesn’t only block apps, but reminds you of the tasks you need to complete as well.

Key features:

• Integration with productivity apps like Trello, Asana, and Slack
• Set goals and apps blocklist for each day
• Control your environment with Philips Hue lights
• Has focus enhancers to help you solve problems

Serene is available on macOS for free for the first 10 deep work hours; USD4/month after.

7. Cold Turkey

Sounds a bit funky, but Cold Turkey just works!  It’s a fully customisable software that lets you create a list of websites and desktop apps to block. Aside from blocking daily social media apps and tools, you can also block work-related applications such as Slack, Asana, Trello, among other apps after work hours.

As it's a system-wide app, you can block even the native applications on your computer! There’s even a Frozen Turkey mode where you can completely forbid yourself from accessing your device! Even if you restart your device, you’ll see nothing but black screen until the scheduled blockage is over.

Key features:

• Block you from editing time and language
• Stop you from accessing Chromium Task Manager
• Works on different browsers including Firefox, Safari, Brave, and more
• Ability to set passwords for your active blocks
• Inability to uninstall the app while a block is active

Cold Turkey is available on Windows and macOS. It also has a premium version which offers unlimited blocking and scheduling.

8. Flipd

If you want the most aggressive blocking for your mobile phone, then Flipd is your best choice! Once you start unplugging your phone, you can never go back! Restarting your phone won’t even be of use as it won’t disable the app!

Flipd aims to be the ultimate productivity app to get your work done! It also offers you some beats to listen to while at work to keep you focused on your goals for the day. Plus, you can also track all your productivity with their personalised statistics meter for you.

Key features:

• Different libraries of top music and audio content
• Ability to unplug another user using another device
• Perfect for team who want to unplug altogether
• Friendly and easy-to-use UI

Flipd is available on Android and iOS devices. If you want to get full features of the app, subscribe to their premium plans for as low as USD44.99/year.

9. Moment

Do you ever wonder how much you spend just scrolling endlessly on your mobile phone? If you want to know just how much time you spend using your smartphone, use Moment. You’ll be shocked on how certain apps can consume the majority of your day! 

If you’re always tempted to look at your screen every time a notification pops up, Moment has a feature which forces your phone to shut down. This also applies when you’re extending your screen time more than your set limit.

Key features:

• Big focus on health and wellness by reducing online footprint
• Tracks your mobile usage in the background
• Give comprehensive statistics about your usage
• Family mode where you can track your children’s usage

Moment is available on all iOS devices for free.

10. WriteRoom

For all the writers out there, WriteRoom is a full-screen writing app that lets you immerse in what you do. It works similarly as Word — but the great thing is, it keeps track of the time you’ve spent writing each file.

WriteRoom provides a spreadsheet where you can see your time logs when writing. Best of all, it stores all the previous versions of the document, so you can always restore a copy if ever you need one.

Key features:

• Customisable themes and appearance
• Live grammar-correction and auto-correction
• Simple and straightforward UI
• Word count and character count preview

WriteRoom is available on macOS for free.

Work seamlessly with fast broadband!

Now that you’ve blocked all distractions while working, it’s time to get productive! If you want to work seamlessly and efficiently, connect to fast and reliable broadband. Don’t let your internet slow you down and affect your workday.

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