5 Best Google Chrome Productivity Extensions

So many extensions, so little time. As we strive to make our days more productive, searching for productivity tools get in the way. Oh, the irony. Here are a few Chrome browser extensions that we’ve come across that are particularly useful:

1. StayFocusd – This extension helps you stay focused by limiting the amount of time you spend on time wasting websites like Facebook, Twitter, news and gaming sites. You can configure it to block or allow entire sites, subdomains only, or specific in-page content like videos, games, and images. So if you give yourself only one hour on Twitter for the day, it won’t let you back on the site after you’ve used up the allotted time.

2. Evernote Web Clipper – We use and love Evernote and have written about the app extensively on this blog. The Web Clipper extension allows you to save a blog post or news article to Evernote with one click. Or you can highlight text, links, or images and then click on the extension to save to your notebook. This is great for adding to your blog post ideas notebook in Evernote.

3. RescueTime – Want to know how much time you’re wasting spending on a particular website? RescueTime tracks the time you spend in the currently active tab or window of your browser. When you step away from the computer, RescueTime figures this out and pauses tracking. The pause is triggered when your keyboard goes silent for at least two minutes. It categorize the sites you visit and scores them on a scale from Very Productive to Very Distracting. You can also retrieve a report that lets you see how you spend your time on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Brace yourself.

4. Google Reader Readable – If you use Google Reader to keep up with your favorite blog and news sites, you’ll love this extension. Its minimal design removes the clutter and focuses on the current post or article you’re reading. Hover around the corners to reveal navigation and other features.

5. Pocket – Pocket is one of our favorite apps for saving articles, posts and web pages to read later. This extension allows you to do that with one click. You can also add tags, and it syncs across your browser and mobile devices.

We’re always on the lookout for other useful browser extensions, so please share your top picks.

RELATED POSTS:
5 Tools to Conquer Information Overload
5 Firefox Add-Ons to Boost Your Productivity
App of the Week: Read It Later is Now Pocket, Your DVR for the Web