Why I made my work intentionally harder — The distraction-free gear that saves my focus

I recently read an article from the Associated Press about Gen Z are reviving the classic iPod for “distraction-free listening.”

And I get it. We’re living in a sensory slot machine, bombarded by endless notifications, ads, bright colors, and look-at-me-look-at-me pop-ups feeding the irresistible urge to keep scrolling. Why wouldn’t you want a device that does one thing incredibly well without leading you astray? But I think this shift toward distraction-free states goes way beyond listening to your favorite albums. It’s about general well-being, better mental health, and actually getting things done.

As someone who occasionally struggles to stay focused on a single task - my thoughts can zip around like a leaf in an autumnal wind - I know willpower alone is just not enough. Over the past few years, I've collected a stack of 'high-friction' home office gear that, though not as convenient or seamless as modern tech promises to be, helps me stay focused while working.

Here’s the gear I use to maintain a distraction-free zone even while sitting at a laptop working all day. And I’m always open to new ideas, too, so I’d love to hear what tools or even rituals you use to keep you on track at work. Drop a comment below.

The tablet: reMarkable 2

The reMarkable 2 is the device that made me realize how important it was to switch off - without disconnecting entirely. And I absolutely adore it, using it every day for making notes and sketching out ideas.

It’s an ultra-thin black-and-white e-ink handwriting tablet that capably mimics the experience of writing with pad and pencil, and it’s a beautiful experience. The reMarkable 2 converts even my scribbling scrawl into usable, word-processor-friendly text, and syncs to my phone and laptop through the app.

For my use, I have no real need for color screens, but the reMarkable Paper Pro is a good alternative if your profession requires it. On the other hand, for business travel or making notes away from my desk, I also use the truly portable reMarkable Paper Pro Move.

If you prefer using your tablet as an e-reader too, the Kindle Scribe is similar, is better for adding notes in eBooks, and is significantly cheaper. My wife swears by the 2024 model - it has a better writing experience than the 2025 edition, but you may prefer the larger screen on the newer one.

However, it’s a hard-pass from me because if you’re giving me access to a global library of books (plus Amazon’s intrusive advertising), I’m definitely not getting any work done that day.

The phone: Fairphone 6

I was first attracted to the Fairphone 6 for its sustainability and repairability features. I liked the idea of being able to swap out a dying battery like the old days, instead of tossing away an otherwise perfectly good phone.

But what swung it for me was the built-in switch that enables FairPhone Moments. This is distraction-free working at the flick of a button - although you can change that to a range of other functions like turning on the flashlight.

Slide it down and it’ll turn on Do Not Disturb and prevent you using all but the essential apps. These moments (and the apps you can use) are customizable, so you can craft ones for different times of the day or locations.

Now, the Android operating system already has a focus mode that I was using, but I appreciate the physicality of Fairphone’s slider. I have to make a very real, very conscious - and very guilty - decision to turn it off.

Anyway, I’ve triple-locked that distraction-free theme by also buying the Minimalist Phone app that's available on iOS and Android. It makes the phone’s UI as boring as possible (and I mean that in a good way), stripping away icons and colors and serving up just a list of your downloaded apps.

The audio: Majority MP3 Player & Anker Soundcore Q20i

Audio plays a huge role in creating a distraction-free zone. For me, there are two central tools here: the Majority Bluetooth MP3 player, which takes the role of the iPod Gen Z is now picking, and the Anker Soundcore Q20i headphones.

I like Majority’s range of audio gear, owning a CD player and DAB radio from them. They’re not overly fancy, not overly expensive, and the same goes for the MP3 player, which can sometimes be found listed under Majority's budget brand Oakcastle.

It’s well-priced, sounds good, does everything I need it to do - and absolutely nothing more. It’s nice not to have to grab my phone every few minutes to skip a song, before inevitably being distracted by Reddit. Everything on there is what I want to listen to, in the order I want to listen to them.

For headphones, I’ve been using the Soundcore Q20s for years now, and as far as bang for your buck goes, nothing beats them at this price. The noise-canceling works great, without being too isolating. And with the mic, I can connect them to the laptop when I’m pulled into a video call at work. My only advice: just don't pay full-price for them, they're almost always on sale at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

There are two more audio devices I rely on, too.

Firstly, I hooked up a pink noise generator in my home office. It’s here now, just shhhing away in the background, filling the room with ambient noises so that, even with my headphones off, the vibe remains chill.

Secondly, the SnoozeBand (other brands are available, but this was a Christmas gift so I can’t comment on anything else). This simple Bluetooth black-out mask isn’t just for sleeping (and never on the job, boss). I was delighted to find meditation sounds in the app, so on my downtime, I can relax on the couch and create a focus-friendly environment without mindlessly scrolling on my phone.

The stationery: Moleskine notebook & Clever Fox planner

I never understood the hype around Moleskine until I tried one. Now, I get it. And when I want to take myself away from technology entirely, these notebooks are what I rely on. I’ve also found the Leuchtturm 1917 line-up to be superb alternatives to the Moleskine (if you’re also a notebook aficionado, you’ll know what I mean).

Anyway, Moleskines are well-made and ideal for business use. But really, the secret sauce is the thickness of the paper. It’s a genuine joy to write on, and I pair it with the humble PaperMate InkJoy ballpoint pens, which are easily the smoothest biros I’ve ever used.

A new entry into my workflow is the Clever Fox Daily Planner. How did I ever live without it? Forget to-do list apps (that just leads to more phone use), this is how I plot out my working day and stay on track without being distracted. It covers 6 months, with plenty of space for to-do's, priorities, and setting an hourly schedule.

I’ve found the undated Daily and Weekly Planner works best for me, but this brand has a simply enormous selection to choose from from yearly planners to travel logs to budget books. I almost never recommend visiting a specific Amazon store, but they're on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and Clever Fox has so much variety that it’s really the only way to find what’s going to suit your workspace and style.

The extras: Chairs & timers

As someone who tests and reviews office chairs for a living, I'm obviously going to say this is an essential - but it's often overlooked in favor of fancier (and occasionally all-too-temporary) solutions.

What I can't stand are those chairs that are too soft, too hard, dig into all the wrong places. I'm basically becoming Goldilocks at this point. But nothing pulls me out of my flow quicker than an uncomfortable office chair.

Personally, I like the Boulies EP200 - it's not obscenely expensive, it's comfortable and breathable, and ideal for all-day sitting, with a good number of fine-tune adjustments, too. I've used it every day for over a year and it's still going strong. But any of the models in my guide to the best office chairs will work here. The trick is finding the one that lets you forget where you are, rather than driving you to distraction.

I’ve found Pomodoros seriously useful for turning long working sessions into a series of short sprints. So, you get your head down for, say, twenty-five minutes, take a five minute break, repeat until you take one longer break. I find it really helpful for staying on track without working so long I lose focus.

In my experience, most pomodoro apps are basically the same so pick the one that fits with your workflow. There’s just one flaw with them all: you need to use your phone for them.

With that in mind, for times when that’s really, really not advisable, I’ve gone totally back to basics. I dug out an old wind-up timer and manually set zone-in and zone-out times that work for me.

Any 60-minute wind-up timer on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk will do. It’s a simple alternative, takes away the tech aspect, and the rhythmic tick-tick-tick-tick running in the background is a nice accompaniment when I need to stay productive.