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Focus Enhancers, Anti-Distractors, Productivity Boosters - Good Tools #4

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Focus Enhancers, Anti-Distractors, Productivity Boosters - Good Tools #4

40+ zero-cost tools to stay focused, avoid distractions and be more productive.

Robin Good
Mar 11, 2023
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Photo by Izzy Gibson on Unsplash

Hello, and welcome to issue n.4 of Good Tools.

In this issue you will find tools, apps and browser extensions that are uniquely useful to indie entrepreneurs, bootstrapped startups, authors and small publishers alike.

For this specific edition, I have gone after “Focus Enhancers”, tools and apps that help you stay focused, avoid distractions and be more productive, such as:

  • Sounds Generators

  • Habit Trackers

  • Minimalistic Writing Editors

  • Timers

  • Ad Blockers

  • Website Blockers

  • Inbox Cleaners

  • Article Cleaners

  • Video Cleaners

  • Browser Tabs Organizers

 

The filtering criteria I use for the tools I select are:

  • 100% free (or have very generous free plan)

  • Not popular, not well-known

  • Useful for communication, marketing, collaboration, monetization

  • Tested and verified by me (Robin Good)

If you find tools that are truly useful for you inside this issue, please consider supporting this work with a paid subscription.

That’s the best way to reward and encourage my work and to make sure I keep on doing it.

Robin Good


 
 
  

Focus Enhancer Tools


1) Focus and Concentrate To Nature & Ambient Sounds

  • Noisli
    100% free - Chrome extension
    Nature sounds mixer
    more info

  • Chill ‘n Sounds
    100% free - Web app
    Nature sounds

  • Virtocean
    100% free - Web app
    Ocean sounds

  • Rainyscope
    100% free - Web app
    Rain sounds

  • Listen to the Clouds
    100% free - Web app
    Control towers and airplanes sounds and audio exchanges

  • A Soft Murmur
    Free version - Web app
    23 mixable nature and ambient sounds

  • Defonic
    Free version - Web app
    15 mixable nature and ambient sounds

  • Hipster Sound Ambience
    Free version - Web app
    Cool and customizable cafè sound atmospheres

  • Rainbow Hunt
    Free version - Web app

    Rain sounds simulator

  • Spaces
    Free version - Web app
    immersive HQ and binaural sounds

  

2) Monitor and Track New Habits You Want To Adopt

  • Habtrack by Robin Good
    100% free - Web app - visual habit tracker

  • Habit
    100% free - Web app
    auto-reminder for new habits to adopt

  • Everyday
    Free for up to 3 habits to track - Web app

 
 

3) Write With Zero Distractions

  • ZenPen
    100% free - the best

  • Notedown
    100% free - most features

  • Nute
    100% free - most minimal

  • Kvak
    100% free - with password protection

 
 

4) Eliminate Clutter From Your Articles. Instantly

  • Postlight Reader
    100% free - Chrome extension
    Customizable typeface and font size - print - send to Kindle
    More info - 1M+ users

  • Just Read
    100% free - Chrome extension
    Customizable to suit your reader needs
    Video demo

  • Reader Mode
    Free version - Chrome extension
    Customizable + Text-to-speech - Print and Save
    More info - Video demo

 
  

5) Clear Ads and Clutter From Your Videos. Instantly

  • NicerTube
    100% free - Web app
    No registration required

  • SafeShare
    Free version - up to 20 cleaned videos /mo
    Web app - eliminate ads from YT and Vimeo clips

  • Total Ad Block
    100% free - Chrome extension
    Eliminate ads and pop-ups from YT, FB, news sites and more
    More info

  • Viewpure
    100% free - Web app
    Removes all distracting comments and side-bar related videos

 
 

6) Eliminate Ads and Pop-Ups From Your Computer Screen

  • AdBlock
    100% free - Chrome extension
    Block ads and pop-ups on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and on most websites.
    60M+ users

  • Stands
    100% free - multi-browser extension

  • uBlock Origin
    100% free - Block anything you want - not just ads - More info

  • AdBlock Plus
    Free version - multi-browser extension

 

7) Block Specific Websites

  • Blocksite
    100% free - Chrome extension - Customizable.
    1M+ users - More info

  • WasteNoTime
    100% free - Chrome extension - More info

  • StayFocusd
    100% free - Chrome extension - Fully customizable.

  • Website Blocker
    100% free - Chrome extension - Block permanently or by schedule
    Video tutorial

 
 

8) Track Time - Take Pauses

  • Ambient Noise
    100% free - Chrome extension
    Integrates ambient sounds and timer - More info

  • Marinara
    100% free - Chrome extension - More info

  • FocusBooster
    Free version - PC/Mac software - up to 20 Pomodoro sessions / mo

  • Tomato Clock
    100% free - Chrome extension - More info

 

9) Clean Your Inbox - Eliminate Useless Subs

  • Unroll.me
    100% free - Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, AOL
    video intro

  • Cleanfox
    100% free - Web, iOS, Android
    video intro

  • Jitbit
    100% free - Web app
    cleans up your mail list from invalid emails

 

10) Manage All of Your Open Browser Tabs

  • OneTab
    100% free - Cross-browser extension
    video demo 1 - video demo 2

  • Tablerone
    100% free - Chrome extension
    video demo

  • Tabcloud
    100% free - Chrome extension + Android app
    Save and restore window sessions over time and across multiple computers
    video demo 

  • Toby
    100% free for personal use - Chrome extension

    Organize and save your browser tabs into collections
    video demo

 
 

 

Poll

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Personal Note

Thank you for being a reader looking for alternative free tools.

I enjoy helping indie entrepreneurs looking for side-roads.

My name is Robin Good and I have been searching, testing and sharing great rare-to-find tools for indie entrepreneurs since March 2000.

I do this because I enjoy finding useful but hard-to-find resources and I feel it is my mission not to keep these just for me but to share them with anyone who may need them.

I am part of a growing number of people who help others find what they need by organizing the info and resources that are already available online, but are impossible to find via Google search.

If you feel that what I do is useful for you and for others please do support this newsletter with a paid subscription so that I, and others, can continue to fulfill our mission of sharing the best of what we find with you.

 

from sunny Holbox island,

Robin Good

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