5 Apps You Need to Improve Your Powers of Concentration

From an AI program which is controlling Perseverance on Mars, to the Android and iOS mobile Operating Systems which have transformed phones into palmtops, software in its various forms has helped us achieve so much as a species. It is true that software has made our lives easier, and our time more productive, be it from a business perspective, or a personal one, but unfortunately, some of the same inventions that we revel in can also turn into distractions if we are not careful.

It is important to consider technology as power, and as is the nature of power in general, knowledge, understanding and control is necessary to be able to properly utilize even the most seemingly ordinary pieces of tech at our disposal. A smartphone loaded with the right applications can become your tool for attaining razor focus, or it can be limited to nothing but a source of endless distractions. Given that modern smartphone apps allow smartphones to be extremely versatile devices, you should be able to strike a balance between the two. Since you likely have all the sources of distraction and entertainment loaded onto your smartphones already, let’s take a look at five concentration-focused apps that will let you strike that fine balance.

BlockSite

As we mentioned how distracting apps themselves can be, we will start off the list with an application which has been designed exclusively to prevent that. Whether you may have noticed it or not, we are distracted more by our smartphones throughout a workday than anything else. The main issue is that we are so used to those distractions breaking our focus, that the constant push notifications and occasional social media visits are not even registered as distractions at the time.

With BlockSite’s help, you can improve your focus and maximize productivity within any given timeframe. You can even customize the app to assist you with improving concentration and staying focused on any one task for longer periods of time. BlockSite can be scheduled to block all possible digital distractions on your smartphone which, in turn, improves your quality of work and work output capacity.

Timely

Timely works on the principle that nothing can be more effective in changing bad habits than raw facts presented in easily readable formats! It simply tracks how you use your phone, tablet or computer and then presents you with stats such as how much time you spent on which app, and when.

By knowing exactly what you need to change about your daily digital habits, you should be able to also take consequent actions to limit or increase how much time you are spending on the unnecessary or necessary activities per day. This visual communication helps us better utilize our time, and in more innovative ways than before. It is a neat app to help you get a better understanding of how closely you are following that focused schedule which you created for yourself.

Lumosity

There are several other apps like Lumosity, but it is often regarded as one of the best apps available for actively boosting our ability to concentrate. By constantly trying and testing the different facets of your mind, it will turn you into a sharper individual over time. The mental abilities which Lumosity tests and improves simultaneously through its fun but increasingly challenging games are memory, flexible thinking, problem solving and of course, the ability to concentrate.

CogniFit – Brain Training

If you are looking to get really serious with not just improving focus, but also your overall IQ, then CogniFit – Brain Training‪ is the app you need. Unlike other applications in the same genre, this one has been designed by neuroscientists and has an official patent for the technology which it uses to boost cognitive fitness. There are, of course, brain teasers, puzzles, games of memory, math games and much more to expect here, but the big difference is in the way they are constructed and presented to various users. CogniFit is even used by professionals to train, sharpen and maintain laser focus.

Personal Zen

Personal Zen is extremely simple in its approach, but it works on a completely different principle, as compared to apps such as Lumosity or CogniFit. Instead of making your brain become sharper through games of mental gymnastics, Personal Zen helps you to boost your power of concentration by helping your brain relax. If that sounds counterintuitive, then all you need to do is think about meditation, which is the oldest known method of improving focus and it follows a similar attention bias modification (ABM) principle. Everybody wishes to be smarter and more productive in their own way, and these are the smartphone apps which will help you get there. Of course, there is only so much an application can do if you are not willing to put in the efforts necessary to grow your concentration. Ironically enough, even improving focus does require some degree of willpower and focus!