Technology
I’ve Been
Planting rees To Stay Focused
http://www.forestapp.cc/
N
o, not in the out-doorsy kind of way - this is afterall,
our brains recognise as “calming” colours and this rather
2016. I’m actually talking about the app, “Forest”.
clever technique helps to get us more in the zone for
Forest works by silencing your phone while you work:
getting work done. The rest of the art is also kept simple
you can set a timer for how long you’re going to be busy
and clean: with a mostly flat “Material Design”. This is a
and the app will do the rest. You can then watch your
concept which was popularized by Google back in 2014
virtual forest grow: the more you work, the more it will
and inspired by the aesthetic of pen on paper drawing:
populate with shrubs, bushes, and trees. However, your
all the shapes are simple but bold, and the design fea-
laziness and social-media-sidetracking will be punished,
tures a lot of two-dimensional art with layering and little
and your trees will wither - adding a tang of guilt associ-
animation.
ated with checking Facebook or Twitter. It’s amazing how much you can get done when you You can of course “whitelist” certain apps so that, for
aren’t constantly checking every beep your phone
example, answering a call or replying to an email does
makes - like being in a forest with no signal and only the
not count as a distraction. Navigating away from the
silence of your surroundings letting you clear your head.
app and launching any other app, however, will
Whereas a “social media break” can usually do more
usually be penalised and the moment will be saved
harm than good, because even while you feel like you’re
alongside all your other slacking off: displayed in a help-
not working, you’re reading or watching content which is
ful chart so you can see how long it takes for
designed to provoke a response: and emotional thoughts
your concentration to fade.
and feelings can be more of a burden on your mind than sitting in a quiet room and collecting your thoughts.
The art in Forest is perhaps what makes it most attractive: it uses a lot of mellow blue and green tones which
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Mila Georgieva