Any app can help you be productive if you know how to use it wisely. One app that always makes its way into my productivity folder is YouTube. Here is how I use YouTube (and often, my Premium subscription) to boost my focus while I work.
Take Advantage of Ad-Free Videos
The main reason I pay my monthly dues to YouTube for my Premium membership is that I cannot stand the ads that break my focus when I play videos for my focus sessions or simply irritate me when I open a random video while taking a break from work. Given that I spend anywhere between one and four hours on YouTube while I work due to my long focus playlists (often hour-long lo-fi streams and videos), I really need a break from the ads.
If you are someone who wants to cruise through your work without breaking focus from your YouTube playlist, then you might want to consider a Premium subscription to get rid of the ads. YouTube Premium plans include:
- Individual: $13.99/month
- Family: $22.99/month (up to 5 members)
- Student: $7.99/month
Use Background Play to Multitask
Another YouTube Premium feature that I often use when working is Background Play. This lets you play a video in the background while you use other apps. This is a mobile-exclusive feature that you can use for YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube Kids, as long as you are signed in with your Premium account.
While the web app does not exactly have Background Play, the picture-in-picture feature (also available on mobile) and the ability to play a video or song while surfing other tabs or windows make up for it. I like to use this feature when I am multitasking across apps or websites so that I can still listen to my playlists while working.
To make changes to Background Play, tap your YouTube profile picture > Settings > Background & Downloads > Background Play. From here, you can switch this feature on for any situation (“Always On”), let it activate only when your device is connected to headphones or an external speaker (“Headphones or External Speakers”), or turn it off. (“Off”).
Lock Your Video to Remove Distractions
If you really want to lock into the video you are watching, a feature that comes in handy to avoid distractions is YouTube’s video locking. Available on your YouTube mobile app, this lets you lock your screen so that any unintentional taps or swipes you make do not affect your video playback. I use this feature when I am trying to concentrate on an educational video and do not want to drift my attention towards recommended videos that I might be tempted to click on.
To lock your YouTube screen on a video, start playing a video you like. Click “Settings” in the upper-right corner of your screen, then tap “Lock.” Once you are done with the video or want to watch another video, you can unlock the screen by tapping anywhere on the video’s screen, waiting for the lock icon to appear, then tapping “Tap to Unlock.”
Locking your screen still allows you to get in-app notifications and ads (if you are not a Premium user), but once these disappear or finish playing, your video will remain locked.
Use YouTube Chapters to Skip Sections
As someone who often uses YouTube videos for educational content and work, I tend to watch long video essays that require a lot of focus. While many features help me tune into the video without distractions, one YouTube feature that allows me to efficiently watch video essays is Chapters.
Although not available for every video you might click on, YouTube’s Chapters is a playback feature that divides your video into neat sections (or chapters), often used by content creators to break their videos into fragments differentiated by topics or subtopics. This helps with easy navigation through major parts of long videos, which is very convenient if you are, say, looking for specific information on a topic. I also find that additional resources for educational content can often be found in the video description in the form of links and the comment section, although some cross-referencing might be needed.
Make Offline Playlists
One major source of distractions beyond ads on YouTube can be the fact that you are still receiving notifications from other apps while you are trying to immerse yourself in a focus playlist on YouTube. While you can make changes to your phone’s settings to control these distractions (for instance, using Do Not Disturb or different focus modes on iOS), you can also make use of a YouTube Premium feature to ward off unnecessary distractions.
I find that downloading my YouTube playlists or videos that I save exclusively for work helps me weed out any obstacles to my focus since I do not bother checking my phone often if it is offline. To download videos, you can click the three dots next to them and select “Download.” The button is also available for playlists (under the playlist’s name) or under the title for any video you are watching.
Try Ambient Mode for Immersive Videos
Another setting that helps me fully indulge in videos that I need to watch for work or school is Ambient Mode. This changes the lighting in your video and makes it more immersive, casting more gentle colors from your video into the screen background.
You can turn on Ambient Mode on the mobile app from a video you are watching by tapping Settings > Additional Settings > Ambient Mode and toggle it on.
For your computer, Ambient Mode is enabled automatically when your YouTube app uses the Dark theme. To turn this on, click on your profile picture > Appearance > Dark theme.
Use a Sleep Timer
A YouTube feature that I use when I play my focus playlists or long podcasts (usually over an hour) is the Sleep Timer. Like a Sleep Timer you would see on Spotify for podcasts and audiobooks, YouTube’s Sleep Timer automatically turns off a video once a preset time has been reached on the video. This lets you concentrate on work instead of keeping track of a long video or playlist. I also use Sleep Timer as a makeshift focus timer, to know when to take a break between work tasks for a walk or look away from my screen.
To use YouTube’s Sleep Timer, start playing a video. Then, click the “Settings” button (in the upper-right corner of the mobile app and lower-right corner of the web player/desktop app). Select “Sleep Timer” and select a time interval (you can choose between 10 and 60 minutes or until the end of the video).
Try Smart Downloads
An addition to offline videos with a Premium subscription, Smart Downloads lets your YouTube automatically download recommended videos to your Downloads library. This lets you take your recommendations on the go or watch new content during your offline time while working.
To turn on Smart Downloads on the mobile app, iPad, and web app, tap your profile picture > Downloads > Menu > Settings > Smart Downloads, and toggle it on. You will be able to access your Smart Downloads from your Downloads section.
You can use apps such as YouTube and Spotify to have a productive work or study session if you know how to manage your library and playlists. Honing your collection to make focus-centric playlists and finding what sort of music or background sounds work for you is a great place to start.
