Zohive

Productivity tools

Free personal organizer software

While there are several options available for free productivity software, our best overall pick is ZimNotes, available for Apple, Windows and Linux at The reason it's our top recommendation is that it supports everything:

• note-taking
• to-do lists
• clickability of links that you paste in
• tasks with due dates (you need to enable this in edit -> preferences -> plugins)
• page trees - you can organize multiple related pages under one parent page, for example
• offline - you don't need to connect to Wi-Fi to use it, it stays on your device

Free distraction limiting software

If instead of a lack of being organized, you're easily distracted, there are solutions. If you have the problem that you're too tempted to look around online on unrelated things when you're supposed to be working on a task, then distraction limiting software is what you need.

Such software typically involves blocking use of your browser, or limiting it in some way. While most of the popular solutions such as Freedom require a paid subscriptions, there are some options which won't cost you a cent.

Our favorite free distraction limiting software is Leechblock. It's actually a broswer extension which is compatible with most major browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and many more. Unfortunately it's not compatible with Safari, so it won't help you if Safari is your go-to browser.

An alternative, and a surprisingly easy solution to add friction any time you move away from your task, is simply to work in full screen mode on whatever software you're using. Of course, the drawback here is if you're doing a task that requires you to switch between several windows to get the task done.

Personal productivity tools

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If you prefer to have an analog tool with you to keep focused, we recommend one of these options available from Amazon:

• Pomodoro timer. A pomodoro timer keeps you on task for x amount of time (e.g. 25 minutes) after which it gives you a break for y amount of time (e.g. 5 minutes). Pomodoro timers are available in a range of trendy looks which are designed to fit with modern office decor. Simply knowing that a break will come up means you're motivated to keep working, as opposed to feeling like you're on a never-ending treadmill.
• Productivity notebook. There are many designs and layouts available in physical notebooks designed to improve productivity. Some are organized as a to-do list, others are more free-form journal style, while others focus more on big-picture projects and aims. So it's important to pick the type that suits your needs. It's much easier to stay organized and focused when you can pick up a tangible reminder of the projects you want to do.