Living with ADHD poses problems for your focus and productivity. These Chrome extensions aim to help by limiting distractions and more.
Living with ADHD in a world filled with a constant stream of information, notifications, and distractions is a common challenge. Staying focused and organized can be quite difficult. Fortunately, for people managing ADHD, Chrome extensions can help tackle these issues and enhance their online experience.
In the following list, delve into the top Chrome extensions designed to offer support, boost productivity, and assist in managing the daily demands of life with ADHD.
Let’s start the list with an option that has been specifically developed for individuals with ADHD. Just as the name implies, the ADHD Reader extension is designed to enhance reading by reducing cognitive strain and boosting focus on the text.
It achieves this by highlighting the initial letter of each word. That way, you can identify words and their meanings without being sidetracked by surrounding text or page elements.
You have the option to activate it automatically when you visit a webpage but if you do not want that, you can choose it manually when you feel the need to. Simply click on the extension icon and choose Activate.
The internet is a constant source of distractions, with something new vying for your attention every moment. Save to Pocket is a popular service that offers a practical solution by allowing you to save articles, webpages, and other online content for later reading, helping to curb the urge to click on distracting links and stay focused on your current tasks.
It also organizes your saved content with tags and folders, making your reading list easily accessible. Plus, it offers an offline reading feature for a distraction-free experience if the internet is too tempting.
The Pomodoro technique is a time management method that involves dividing your work or study time into focused intervals, typically 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks of 5 minutes. After completing a set number of these intervals (which is typically four), you take a longer break of around 15–30 minutes.
This extension is great for anyone looking to allocate their time effectively and maintain attention during shorter work intervals. These short intervals align with the shorter attention spans common in ADHD, and knowing that a break is coming soon can help you stay motivated during your tasks. If this technique works for you, there are also several other Pomodoro timer apps to consider for improving your productivity.
One of the challenges for many with ADHD is losing track of time. With Clockify Time Tracker, you can have access to a visual representation of time spent on tasks, which can help in being aware of how you allocate your time throughout the day.
You can organize your work and personal life by categorizing and labeling tasks, projects, and activities. Like the Pomodoro extension, it also allows you to set timers for specific tasks or activities to help break down your day into manageable chunks. Moreover, if you are working independently or as a freelancer, you can use this extension to track billable hours and client projects easily.
In case you prefer tracking your time manually, there are several timesheet templates to help you track your hours easily, as well.
Do you get distracted by images and videos when browsing the web? Do you want to focus on the text content without any visual clutter?
The Hide Images/Videos extension can help you achieve that. It blocks the media on the websites, so you can read without interruptions.
This can also benefit people who experience sensory overload. By hiding images and videos, you can reduce sensory input and create a more calm and manageable browsing environment. However, it is worth noting that this extension does not allow users to customize the extension settings.
This means you cannot choose to hide only certain types of media or specific elements on web pages. If you enable the extension, it will block all media for you till you disable it.
Momentum is another productivity tool that you can use to set daily goals and intentions that can allow you to prioritize tasks and stay on track.
This tool is a bit different from other productivity extensions for people dealing with ADHD because it creates a serene and calming environment for your work or study. It replaces your new tab page with a beautiful background image, a personalized greeting, the current time, and the local weather. This can help you stay motivated and focused when you start a new task or project.
Momentum also gives you your own personal dashboard where you can organize and track your tasks. You can get daily inspirational quotes and focus phrases as well that can boost your positivity and confidence throughout the day.
You can also use the StayFocusd browser extension to stay focused and limit time spent on distracting websites.
StayFocusd lets you block or limit your access to specific websites that you find distracting. You can customize it to block or allow whole sites, subdomains, paths, pages, or even in-page content like videos, images, or forms.
This extension also has a "Nuclear" option that can help you resist the temptation to unblock the websites you have blocked. You can activate this option to block the websites for a certain number of hours and days. Once it is activated, there is no way to undo it. You will have to wait until the time is up to access the websites again. This can be a great feature to use when you have a strict deadline and cannot afford to get distracted at all.
If you ever struggle with distractions like noisy neighbors, office chatter, or street sounds that make it hard to focus on your tasks, you might want to give Noisli a try. This tool offers a range of customizable background sounds, such as white noise, rain, and ocean waves, which can help mask those distracting noises and create a serene and focused workspace.
But Noisli isn't just for work. You can also use its soothing sounds, like gentle rain or a crackling fireplace, to establish a calming bedtime routine or promote relaxation. It's particularly helpful for individuals dealing with ADHD who are looking to get better sleep.
One more cool feature is the timer function. It lets you set work intervals and breaks while enjoying your chosen background sounds. This can be a real stress-buster, too.
Dealing with multiple communication apps and devices can prove quite challenging, especially for individuals with ADHD. Chrome extensions like MightyText can help you streamline this process.
It serves as a centralized platform for texting, simplifying the task of managing SMS messages. The key advantage is that it reduces the need to constantly switch between devices, as it enables users to send and receive text messages directly from their computers.
So rather than repeatedly reaching for your smartphone to attend to messages, you can conveniently access the texts on your computer. This not only minimizes distractions but also reduces interruptions stemming from frequent phone checks. This separation of devices can significantly enhance focus during work or study sessions.
The last item on our list is Timewarp, which is great for avoiding procrastination when you need to get things done.
Here's how it works: Timewarp lets you create what it calls "wormholes," which are essentially rules to help you stay focused and avoid time-wasting websites like Gmail, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and others. You have three types of wormholes at your disposal:
What's even more useful is that you can combine the Timer with any other wormhole, which means that when your allotted time on a website is running out, the tool will either display a chosen quote or automatically redirect you to another site.
In our tech-driven world, digital distractions can make it hard to manage ADHD. Chrome extensions help you avoid distractions so you don't let them get in the way of your focus and productivity. The extensions listed above can help you customize your online experience to suit your needs and preferences, turning technology into your ally.
Zainab Falak is a seasoned technical writer, who has been creating troubleshooting guides and how-to articles for Microsoft Windows since 2019. Her expertise lies in creating concise and effective guides for common Windows errors, helping readers optimize their Windows devices. She likes to stay up-to-date with the latest Windows updates and technologies to provide the most accurate information possible.