You're doing it again -- spending too much valuable time on Twitter and Facebook.
So we've narrowed down seven free and convenient browser plugins and extensions to help you stop procrastinating -- now.
1. White Noise
Image courtesy of White Noise
You may have impeccable taste in music, but all that bass dropping can be distracting. User-friendly White Noise lets you drown out background chatter. Play around with other noise "colors," like gray, pink and blue.
Image courtesy of Strict Workflow
Strict Workflow employs the Pomodoro technique: Focus for 25 minutes, then reward yourself with a sanity-saving five minute break. A simple click on the tiny tomato starts the timer, which sits unobtrusively in the corner of your screen. You can also blacklist and whitelist specific sites during sessions.
3. SelfControl
Image courtesy of Flickr, jonas maaloe
No more "I'll just see what's happening on Vine." This application for Mac OS X lets you decide what to block, such as mail servers or addictive websites. Set a period of time to block your distractions, add the sites to the blacklist and dive into your work. Even if you finish your work early, restarting your computer or deleting the application won't reset that timer.
Image courtesy of Productivity Owl
This snarky Productivity Owl watches every page you visit. It helps you find information as quickly as possible: Choose the amount of time you need on each site and pinpoint what you're looking for before the owl flies to the top of the page and closes the your tab. Customize the countdown timer or tell the owl which sites to keep open -- while blocking keywords like "games." Caution: You may grow to hate owls.
5. Checker Plus for Google Calendar
Image courtesy of Checker Plus for Google Calendar
A quick glance at this icon displays how much time you have before your next event. Easily add events, view your calendar and hover to see event details.
6. Liquid
Image courtesy of Liquid
Liquid ($4.99) upgrades your entire OS X system into a seamless work machine. Select an area of text -- then click command + shift + "2" to bring up the program. Simple keystrokes help speed up your search -- like clicking "W" for Wikipedia. Liquid also upgrades the "find" function by compiling each sentence that includes the word you searched for. A free version is also available in the App Store.
Image courtesy of Written? Kitten!
Clearly, we saved the best for last. Written? Kitten! isn't a plugin or extension, but rather a helpful tool if you respond well to positive reinforcement. Each time you reach a goal (for example, you hit 500 words in your essay), the site rewards you with an adorable picture of a kitten, generated from Flickr. Meowww.
How do you prevent wasting away hours online? Share with us in the comments below.