A large part of staying productive on your Mac means cutting out distractions. This doesn’t just mean avoiding social media, optimizing your workflow can do wonders too.
Rather than breaking your concentration with a task that requires you to stop what you’re doing, use an app that helps you accomplish the task quicker instead. Here are 12 apps that can help you focus better and stay productive throughout the day.
1
HazeOver
Work often involves having a whole heap of windows open, across many different desktops. By default, the window you’re working on is displayed just as prominently as those you’re not using in the background. HazeOver ($5.99) fixes this problem by dimming background windows as you switch away from them.
By doing this, you’ll still be able to see the contents of a background window (which is handy if you need to read text or consult a map) but it will appear dimmed and therefore appear less distracting. Your eyes are naturally drawn to the brighter, active window which should hopefully help you focus on whatever it is you’re working on.
The app also has the benefit of letting you know which window is focused at a glance, which avoids the issue of attempting to type or use a keyboard shortcut only for nothing to happen. The app has multiple monitor support, allowing you to highlight a window on each monitor if you want.
Also Consider: Blurred
Blurred is a free app that performs essentially the same job as HazeOver, dimming background windows that aren’t in focus. The app lacks the more advanced features found in HazeOver like fancy dimming animations, Focus mode support, and multiple monitor support but it’s free so it’s a good starting point.
In our testing, the app hadn’t received an update for a few years but seemed to work just fine in the latest macOS 15 Sonoma release.
2
Freedom
Freedom (from $8.99/month) is a distraction blocker that works on all of your devices. By installing Freedom on your Mac and starting a session, you can block all desired distractions across a full range of devices. No more picking up your iPhone to browse Reddit because your distraction blocker only works on your Mac.
The tool works across websites and apps, allowing you to pick from common lists of distractions or create your own. This ensures you’ll still have useful resources available to you when you work while blocking the time-sinks that stand in your way.
You can subscribe monthly, or pay $39.99 for a year’s subscription. The app is also available as a lifetime license at $199 (though at the time of writing it’s discounted to $99.50). While these prices seem steep, they might not be considering how much your desire to doomscroll could be costing you. Freedom offers a seven-day trial.
3
SelfControl
A free alternative to tools like Freedom, SelfControl is a Mac app that lets you block access to websites for a set amount of time. Be warned, this app is a nuclear option. Once you’ve set a blocklist and specified a time frame (anywhere from one minute to a whole day), you won’t be able to access those services at all even if you quit the process or delete the app entirely (yes, really).
The one main limitation with SelfControl is that it won’t work properly if you use a VPN. Aside from that, it’s an effective way to block websites regardless of which browser you’re using. Developers also included a hidden option to run blocks that last for more than 24-hours if you’re brave.
While you can specify your own custom blocklist, SelfControl has two useful lists that you can import: “Common Distracting Sites” and “News & Publications.” You can also enable “Allowlist” mode which will block everything other than the sites you have specified. You have been warned.
Also Consider: Leechblock NG
While Leechblock NG isn’t a Mac app, it’s worth mentioning here due to its excellent reputation as a completely free distraction blocker. This browser extension is compatible with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and most Chromium-based browsers. Unfortunately, there’s no Safari extension available at the moment, so you should turn to SelfControl instead if you prefer Apple’s browser.
Leechblock NG is a more permanent solution than SelfControl in that it can be set to block lists of websites within different time periods (like during work time) or after a set period. You can combine these so that you can have (for example) 10 minutes of mindless scrolling every hour during your workday. Those little rewards can keep you motivated, and this sort of approach is in line with something like the Pomodoro Technique.
4
Itsycal
Itsycal might just be the best free app you can install on your Mac. It lives in your menu bar and provides a useful month-view calendar that appears with just a click. I use it all the time to quickly check which day a particular date falls on, a feature that Apple probably should include with macOS but sadly doesn’t.
The app will display your upcoming events for the next few days, or you can click on a particular date to see what’s scheduled in advance. Click the “+” plus icon to add a new event right there from your menu bar. You can customize aspects like which calendar to show and how much information appears within the overlay.
Since installing Itsycal I’ve barely had a need to open Apple’s Calendar app. I can check a date or add an event and then get straight back to whatever I was doing with a click.
5
Yoink
Yoink ($5.99) is a virtual shelf for your files. Use it to gather several files in one location, move between desktops and windows, add a few more, and then complete whatever task it is you are doing. The app supports regular macOS files and text or images from web browsers and other apps.
You can choose where to put the shelf (on the left or right side of the screen), which only appears when you need it. The app also functions as a clipboard history tool and also allows you to ignore specific apps if you want. When dragging files out of Yoink the app follows Finder’s rules or you can force-copy by holding the Option key and force-move by holding the Command key.
The app vastly simplifies the process of working with multiple files from different locations. It’s also great for trackpad users who aren’t too fond of three-finger drag when moving things between desktops.
6
Dropzone 4
If Yoink doesn’t go far enough, take a look at Dropzone 4 ($35) instead. Though it’s a far more expensive app, Dropzone 4 can also do a lot more. It includes the same basic storage features for moving and copying files, with additional actions like installing apps, transferring files wirelessly over AirDrop, or uploading files to locations like Amazon S3 storage, Imgur, FTP servers, and more.
On top of this, you can use Dropzone to quickly shorten URLs, resize or compress images, or trigger shortcuts using the file you’re currently dragging. The app can also be used from the keyboard using a universal hotkey and quick keyboard triggers.
The app is free to use, but you’ll need to pay a one-off fee in order to access the full set of features. This includes access to additional Dropzone actions like creating ZIP archives, downloading YouTube videos and audio, stripping image metadata, or searching Google Lens.
7
SideNotes
I discovered SideNotes ($19.99) after I realized that switching to Apple Notes was causing me to lose track of the task at hand. I needed a note-taking app for quick, disposable notes, that I could quickly recall and dismiss while working. It turns out that SideNotes was exactly what I needed.
The app is hidden from view until you trigger it using the on-screen control or universal hotkey. From there you’ll find a scratch pad ready to go, with which you can take notes without switching windows and getting distracted. It’s perfect for rapid access, and any important notes can then be copied over to Apple Notes (or whatever else you use) for permanent storage.
The app is compatible with advanced features like Markdown formatting, supports in-line images, allows you to customize different notes with colors, and even has a whole system of note organization if you want to keep things there permanently. It even supports iCloud sync (great for iPhone users), allows you to share your notes quickly, and create links between notes.
8
SlidePad
SlidePad ($13.99) works a lot like SideNotes except it’s a whole browser, not a note-taking app. The procrastinators among us know how deadly it is to switch to a browser window, especially one that’s loaded with interesting tabs (or the last subreddit you were browsing).
The app isn’t designed to replace your primary browser in its entirety and serves an altogether different purpose. It’s perfect for providing rapid access to web apps in a small but functional window, removing the need to switch to a browser or dedicated app. Tabs are organized along the left edge of the browser to maintain an uncluttered interface.
It’s perfect for accessing project management apps like Trello and Asana, communication tools like Slack or Gmail, note-taking services like Apple Notes via iCloud or Microsoft OneNote, or for switching songs in Spotify or YouTube. It’s especially good if you want to quickly access a browser while using your primary app in full-screen mode.
9
PopClip
PopClip (from $12) is a self-described “multi-tool for text” that appears whenever you highlight text across the macOS ecosystem. The app includes a whole set of built-in actions which can be customized. This includes clipboard tools, quick web search, dictionary lookup, and a Finder reveal action for paths. These are context-sensitive, so they won’t all appear at all times.
What makes PopClip worth the price of entry is its rich library of extensions. These include text transformation tools, a Markdown converter, a ChatGPT chat starter, translators, extensions for capturing your text in third-party apps like Obsidian or Notion, website extensions for specific lookups on sites like PubMed or eBay, and developer tools for quickly encoding in Base64 or running selected text within Terminal.
It’s one of those apps that can vastly speed up your workflow, as long as you take the time to set it up and get used to using it.
A jack-of-all-trades, BetterTouchTool is a legendary Mac app with a whole host of features that make it an essential purchase. You can use it to trigger a near-limitless number of actions using pointing devices like trackpads and mice but also customize the keyboard, and access some handy window-snapping tools.
You might not realize the true power of BTT until you play with it yourself, so the 45-day free trial can really help you get your bearings. The app allows you to create universal rules that do things like position windows in precise locations or trigger shortcuts. You can also create more specific rules that only apply when you’re using certain apps.
Automation is the aim of the game here. If you’re stuck for ideas the BTT Preset Sharing board is full of inspiration.
There are lots of other ways to tune out the distractions on your Mac. Looking for even more apps? Check out our favorite single-purpose Mac apps, as well as the apps you should install on any new Mac.
