Provent Tutorial

What is the pomodoro technique?

The pomodoro technique is a productivity strategy that involves breaking up your time into intervals of 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest. After 4 rotations, you can then take a longer break of 15-20 minutes.

The pomodoro technique can be effective because:

• Work expands to fill the allotted time: A known time limit can introduce urgency and help motivate you to finish the task at hand and prioritize the most important components.
• Frequent breaks help regain focus: Reminders to stand up and stretch can help clear your brain for more productive work periods and keep your body healthy.
• Block out distractions and stay focused: The pomodoro technique can train your brain to stay focused for longer periods of time and free you from the urge to multitask.

What widgets are available?

1. On your starting tab:
• To-do list
• Google Calendar
• Notes
• YouTube
• Spotify
2. On the popup:
• To-do list
• Google Calendar
• Notes

How can I add website(s) to block?

1. Go into settings by clicking on the settings icon on the bottom right corner of your starting tab
2. Scroll down to the "Block Distracting Sites"
3. Type in or paste the URL of the website you would like to block
4. Press "Enter" or click on the "Add Site" button
5. Click on "Expand >" to view or delete the sites you have added

How can I customize my background?

1. Go into settings by clicking on the settings icon on the bottom right corner of your starting tab
2. Scroll down to the "Customize Background"
3. Add the URL link of the image you want as your background, and click on "Upload image"
• To get the URL of an image:
1. On your computer, go to https://images.google.com/
2. Search for the image
3. In Images results, click the image
4. Right click on the image
5. Click on “Copy image address”
4. Click on "Expand >" to select, view, or delete your custom backgrounds
5. Select the background options you want by clicking on the radio button to the left of the image or our 2 custom background options (“Random backgrounds from our collections!” and “A random custom background you added!”)

How can I toggle preferences?

1. Go into settings by clicking on the settings icon on the bottom right corner of your starting tab
2. Scroll down to "Toggle Preferences"
3. Click on the toggle button of your choice
• E.g. for "Display Widgets", by default, you can view your widgets by hovering over it
• Clicking on the toggle will slide the cyan button to the right, which selects the option "On click"
• Now, to view your widgets, you can click on the arrow, and it will stay open until you click on the arrow again.

How can I add my YouTube playlist(s) and listen to them using the YouTube widget?

1. Go into settings by clicking on the settings icon on the bottom right corner of your starting tab
2. Scroll down to "Add Youtube Playlist(s)"
3. Enter in a nickname for your YouTube playlist
4. Get the URL of your YouTube playlist (the playlist must be public) and paste it into the form underneath the nickname form
• Need help getting the URL of your YouTube playlist? Checkout this tutorial by YouTube
5. Click on "Expand >" to view or delete the playlists you have added
6. Now that you have added a/some playlist(s), go to your starting tab
7. Hover over the widget feature on the right, and a widget should appear. Click on the YouTube icon if it isn’t already selected
8. Click on the play button to the left of your playlist nickname to select/change the playlist
9. A video from the playlist you selected should now appear above your playlist(s), click on the video to start the playlist

How can I add my Spotify playlist(s) and listen to them using the Spotify widget?

1. Go into settings by clicking on the settings icon on the bottom right corner of your starting tab
2. Scroll down to "Add Spotify Playlist(s)"
3. Enter in a nickname for your Spotify playlist
4. Copy the link of your Spotify playlist and paste it into the form underneath the nickname form
• To get the link of your playlist, on Spotify, right click on the playlist → Share → Copy link to playlist
5. Click on "Expand >" to view or delete the playlists you have added
6. Now that you have added a/some playlist(s), go to your starting tab
7. Hover over the widget feature on the right, and a widget should appear. Click on the Spotify icon if it isn’t already selected
8. Click on the play button to the left of your playlist nickname to select/change the playlist
9. A music player should now appear above your playlist(s), click on the play button on it to start the playlist

How can I connect my Google Calendar and use the Google calendar widget?

1. Go to your Google calendar Settings
2. Scroll down to "Integrate calendar"
3. There will be an option to copy the embed code for your Google calendar, however, it is highly recommended to customize your calendar to receive the best experience with our Google calendar widget. Click on “Customise”
• Click me to directly get to the customise page
4. When customizing your Google calendar, we recommend doing the following:
• Uncheck “Title” and “Border”
• Set “Default view” to “Agenda”
5. Copy your new Google calendar embed code
6. Go into settings by clicking on the settings icon on the bottom right corner of your starting tab
7. Scroll down to "Add your Google Calendar"
8. Paste in the embed code into the form
9. Press the enter key or click on the “Add Google Calendar” button
10. You can view your Google calendar by opening the Google calendar widget on our popup, or your starting page

How do I use the pomodoro timer extension?

1. If you haven't already, pin Provent on your Chrome toolbar for easy access
2. Click on the Provent logo
3. Select “Pomodoro”
4. Use the + or - buttons to change the timer
5. Click “Start”
6. Once you click start, the distracting websites you blocked will be inaccessible until your timer ends or until you pause your timer
7. To take a break, you can click on “Short break” or “Long break” and then “Start” to start your break timer