Technology helps productivity, but it also breeds distraction. We didn't have much email access on our mobile phones a decade ago, but we also didn't have Temple Run. And with reports that tech is trashing the attention span of today's youth, sometimes it feels like we're doing more harm than good.

Trends like digital downtime and slow tech are gaining in popularity, but they're a luxury when your job requires you to be plugged in 40+ hours a week. So how do you stay focused on a mind-numbing spreadsheet when the World Wide Web is at your fingertips? More technology, according to the inventors of focus@will.

Currently in beta test mode, focus@will is an 'adaptive audio technology' dedicated to helping you concentrate for longer periods of time. The website offers eight playlists (including Classical, Ambient, Mystical Spa and Alpha Chill), each designed to sooth your limbic system, the part of the brain on the lookout for danger, food, sex and a quick opportunity to play Bejeweled.

Under the best circumstances, most people have the potential to stay focused for 100 minutes at a time (one productivity cycle) before requiring a break. focus@will's music selection is curated to get you into that concentration flow, though anyone can put on a Erik Satie playlist and zone out for a little while. The service's big draw is that it helps you stay in that zone by changing the music every 20 minutes in ways like key, intensity, arrangement, speed, emotional values and recording style, so your brain never gets used to the stimuli and tunes it out.

Apply to be a focus@will beta tester, or wait until the official release. It's helpful, if you don't spend too much time deciding on a playlist.