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Keybr

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Keybr is another app to help you learn how to touch type or to just improve your typing speed. Learning this now will help you in later life, it improves your efficiency when taking notes or completing normal work tasks.

The great thing about Keybr is that once you’ve started typing and gone through a game or two, it will pull all this information about how you type into a report for you to understand. It can tell you where you stand in the average typing speed of everyone who uses the app, what letters you miss the most and more.

On the reports after a couple of minutes of typing, I learned that I am in the top 3% of all users on the site, am slowest going to the I key and hit the E key wrong the most times. It’s easy to also keep track of how many days and how long you’ve been practising too with stats just for that one day and a comparison across your all time statistics.

To get started you need to create an account so it can save your progress. Once you’ve done that, head to the Settings and change the Keyboard Layout to English UK as the default is US.

You can even play a little multiplayer game against others around the world. It gives you a paragraph to type out and the fastest wins!

Freedom

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Freedom helps you reclaim focus and productivity.

News, social media, shopping, videos…​these apps and websites are engineered to monopolize your time and attention. With Freedom, you can easily turn off the distractions that harm your productivity and wellbeing. Freedom gives you control.

If you need to focus on your work, break a habit, or simply improve your relationship with technology, Freedom can help. By blocking distracting websites and apps, you’ll be more focused and productive. You’ll develop healthier, more intentional digital habits, that give you control over your time and attention.

Freedom is used by millions of people each day and includes companies like Google, Apple & Microsoft as well as MIT and Harvard Universities as their customers.

Why do I need to block apps or the internet?

You lose 23 minutes each time

Studies show that every time you check email, a social feed, or respond to a notification, your mind requires 23 minutes of re-focus time to get back on task

Multitasking is 40% less productive

While we may feel incredibly productive jumping around putting out a lot of fires, we’re actually 40% less productive when multitasking. This links back to re-focus time too.

Willpower is a finite resource

Ignoring distractions takes effort that results in a temporary depletion of willpower. While we try to ignore it, the digital world is designed to win the battle.

Distractions are habit-forming

It’s easy to say “just turn it off” or “just quit it”, but research shows that it’s not easy to do. Our brains crave the rewards triggered by our digital distractions.

Free Features

Block Websites

Whether it’s Facebook, BBC News, or YouTube, block an unlimited number of distracting websites so you can focus on what matters.

Block Apps

Spending too much time on apps? Freedom lets you block time-wasting apps—from email clients to your favourite addicting games.

Block the Internet

When you need a break or a focus boost, block the whole internet with the click of a button. Save yourself from any distraction.

Block All Except

Create custom whitelists. Block all websites except for the ones you need to access. Keep access to websites you use for research for example.

Additional Browser Extensions

Freedom have built a number of free browser extensions that complement the main app. These extensions are currently supported on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera. You can find the links to these extensions at the bottom of their downloads page.

Pause

Pause challenges you to momentarily pause and reflect before visiting a distracting website.

Limit

Limit allows you to limit your time spent on distracting websites.

Insight

Insight shows you where you are spending your time online.

Noisli

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Noisli allows you to improve your focus and productivity by mixing different sounds to create an environment perfect for you.


It’s worth us mentioning straight away that Noisli is free in your internet browser either at the website or as a Chrome Extension but the Android and iOS mobile apps do cost £1.99. So if you think Noisli could work for you, make sure you give it a good test using the browser based system before you think of spending money on it.

Anyway, Noisli allows you to create your own audible envrionment by mixing certain sounds together based on whatever relaxes you.

If a late night camping in the woods is your idea of heaven, turn up the sound of the log fire and the summer night, you’ll hear the crackling of the logs and the distant noise of crickets in the background. If something a bit busier would be better for you then maybe the noise of a coffee shop or a train, you can even add thunderstorm noises if you so desire. The actual sounds selection is Rain, Thunderstorm, Wind, Forest, Leaves, Water stream, Seaside, Water, Bonfire, Summer night, Fan, Train, Coffee Shop, White Noise, Pink Noise, Brown Noise.

If you create an account you can save your combinations and share them with friends, use a timer to remind yourself to take a break or use their built in distraction free text editor.

Forest

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Want to stop yourself checking your phone every 5 minutes? You need to try Forest.


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