Desperate for Distraction-Free Mode, These 4 Gadgets Can Help. Sometimes the only way to get something done is to unplug and focus.

The stream of headlines on social media is endless. The constant pings from apps like Slack can be relentless. Whether you want a break from the disruptions to focus on more important tasks or simply need to clear your head, there are a number of device makers and software developers that promise to help manage distraction.  

Here are four tools to try when you need help getting offline and getting more done.

The Freewrite

COURTESY COMPANY

Created in 2014 by Adam Leeb and Patrick Paul, the Freewrite is a word processor that allows you to focus on writing rather than scrolling and clicking.

With a full-size keyboard, e-ink display, and cloud-based backup for files, the $549 Freewrite’s only purpose is to get you to keep typing. In fact, there are no arrow keys, so you can’t even move a cursor up and down to edit as you go: You type, save your document to the cloud, and edit it later using a computer or tablet.

(The Freewrite Traveler, a more compact laptop-style device that will cost $389, is in the works now and does have arrow keys–but not much else.) “It’s like a surgical tool,” says Leeb, who notes that creative writers, authors, novelists, screenwriters, and journalers are his core audience.

“We’re fully gripped by technology and weapons of mass distraction,” he says. “It’s worse than ever.” By forcing you to write through without stopping, this new fangled/old-school typewriter may help you hit your deadline.

The Unpluq

COURTESY UNPLUQ/KICKSTARTER

Currently raising funds on Indiegogo, the Unpluq is a dongle for Android phones that empowers the user to silence any attention-sucking apps while allowing the productive ones to function normally.

Creators Jorn Rigter and Tim Smits, who live and work in Delft, Netherlands, both struggled with phone distraction before coming up with the idea.

“I wouldn’t say we were addicted, but we weren’t getting the work done that we wanted to do,” says Rigter.

After trying all of the app- and wifi-blocking software they could find, they decided the current solutions weren’t ideal–“It’s easy to circumvent them, or they block your entire phone, which isn’t useful,” he says.

The creators hope to have the €35 (about $39) dongles to consumers in September. (There are currently no plans for an iPhone version of the dongle since iOS doesn’t allow Unpluq’s technology, but Rigter says he and Smits are developing a similar solution for distracted iPhone users.)

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