Six Free Productivity Tools

Although eLearning offers many advantages for full-time employees and companies alike, with the promise of technology also comes the lure of distraction. Taking online courses or completing training modules via computer requires us to remain focused and productive. The wide range of destinations on the internet, however, plays games with our ability to concentrate on one task at a time. For those who have trouble managing their productivity, I want to point out the following free tools to help you remain on task as you study:

Chrome Nanny / Stay Focusd / LeechBlock

Both of these extensions for the Google-created Chrome browser allow users to either schedule or restrict their internet browsing time. You can create a list of sites to allow, block off time slots during which other sites are inaccessible, or disable your internet access altogether. For those who don't use Chrome, Leech Block is an effective extension for Firefox. These programs would effectively allow your browser to block all sites except those related to your online learning sessions.

JDarkRoom

JDarkRoom is a program that temporarily turns your computer into a simple word processor. It blocks your access to all other applications and simplifies your screen so that all you see are the words you type. You can customize the program to display various colors, word-count goals, and a timer. You can also write in a 'No Delete' mode, which is useful for free-writing and brainstorming exercises. Once you've reached your goals, you can close the program and return to your standard desktop.

Klok / RescueTime

Time management applications like Klok and RescueTime allow you to track how long you work on various tasks throughout the day, and they can provide you with a report of your activity so that you can adjust your focus the next time you sit down to your coursework. While Klok requires that you input your tasks manually, RescueTime will automatically track the applications you open, what websites you've visited, and compare those to your goals.

These are simply a few of the many free programs available to help you regain control of your concentration and enhance your productivity. If you are happy with these tools, then I recommend searching for many more and experimenting with each one. Once you get used to how they work individually, you'll soon be able to combine them to create the ultimate productivity tool.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online college courses. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7@gmail.com.