There are three products that are fantastic add-ons to Mac OSX for those whose work is self-directed and tends to be done on a computer. This category of person definitely includes grad students and postdocs of many varieties! The following programs have been crucial for me to get things done more quickly, with fewer distractions, and sleep better at the end of the day (or night).
First, to block out distractions I like Self Control. http://selfcontrolapp.com/
It’s simple: put a set of websites, IPs, or ports on a blacklist, set the timer, put in your password, and they’re blocked. You can quit SelfControl, uninstall, restart, whatever. The only way you’re getting around the block (on any browser…) is if you use a proxy. Put all your distractions on a blacklist, set the timer for 12 hours, and your computer is a work machine again. Self Control is free and open source.
To track how I spend my time on the computer, use Rescue Time. http://rescuetime.com
Rescue Time runs in the background and tracks which programs and websites you’re using, and for how long. It presents reports like the one shown above, plus a ton more detail. If you’ve ever felt like you were at your desk all day, but managed to get nothing done, this is a great time auditing tool. Rescue Time comes with default settings for what it considers to be productive and distracting, but you can easily customize. It’s a freemium piece of software, but I find the free version to be excellent.
To help with the problem of staring at a screen all day, I like to use f.lux. https://justgetflux.com/
f.lux runs in the background and simply adjusts the color temperature of your screen so that you’re not messing up your circadian rhythm (as much) by using your computer after dark. As you can see from the plot above, your monitor will have Daytime, Sunset, and Bedtime modes, which you can customize. You can also easily override things if you’re watching a movie. This software is related to recent studies that have linked backlit e-reader usage before bed to disrupted sleep cycles, decreased REM sleep, etc. You can read more about that here: https://justgetflux.com/research.html. This software is free and also available for other platforms.