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YouTube is the number one place we go to for videos. It offers a variety of videos: entertainment, education, relaxation, and more. Sadly, I also find it to be a very distracting platform. One of the biggest time-wasters is going on YouTube when you have serious work to do — you can spend several minutes before realizing how much time you’ve wasted.
But I realized that rather than avoiding YouTube altogether, I could reshape how I use it. So I did just that: I put certain rules around it, stopped clicking around, and, while still using the same videos, it quickly stopped feeling like a temptation. YouTube is now part of my workspace, and I don’t have to juggle several productivity apps.
I use YouTube as a work environment, not background noise
Turning videos into places I mentally enter
The first thing that occurred to me was that YouTube can work better for productivity if I see it less as media and more as a place. This meant a shift in mindset from viewing videos as things to listen to while I work to the actual room I work in. But this only works if I listen to long, slow videos where much isn’t really happening. Here are a few that fit:
- Rainy Jazz Cafe
- Library Sounds
- Rainy Dystopian Library Ambience
I’m not watching these videos as I typically would, but just allowing them to sit there slightly out of focus. It goes way more than the sounds. Playing these same videos every time I worked and seeing these same visuals created some familiarity that felt like opening an office door every morning, even though I’m working from home.
My brain identifies the environments in these videos as work, and I’m able to sit there focused and immersed in the task at hand. These YouTube videos have made it very easy for me to switch to work mode, regardless of where I am.
I let videos tell me when time is passing
Replacing timers with visible and audible progression
In the past, I relied heavily on timers. In fact, I developed several tricks for using the Clock app more efficiently. Pomodoro apps, alarms, and countdowns all worked, but I was becoming hyper-aware of time; I’d check my alarm three to four times before it eventually went off. These solutions would break my focus and were a bit counterproductive.
What I do now is play a long video and treat its entire length as my work window. I instantly stopped tracking time; at worst, I’d glance at the progress bar, which was already on my screen. At the end of a video, I switch tasks.
I’ve found that some videos naturally help with this. Any video that offers a visual loop seems to work. These kinds of videos make time feel like it’s moving forward. I initially struggled because it’s less precise than a timer, but in the end, it’s much calmer, and that was more important to me.
I borrow discipline by working alongside strangers
Using body-doubling videos as quiet accountability
There are certain days when I simply don’t feel up to it; the motivation to work isn’t there. Working in silence makes it harder to focus and be productive on such occasions. Since I don’t always have access to a coworking space, “study with me” and deep work videos have been surprisingly helpful. I particularly love this ICanStudy «study with me» video because it has breaks and the perfect background sound for me.
In these videos, the stranger isn’t giving instructions or speaking, but I’m quietly benefiting from their presence. It’s the equivalent of sharing a workspace without interacting with the person.
To get really productive, I avoid jumping between creators. I find what suits me, usually something neutral and consistent, and stick to it. Without speaking a word, the person on the screen motivates me. If they can work for three hours, so can I.
I match the video to my energy, not my ambition
Letting YouTube set the pace instead of forcing focus
There was a period when I was constantly trying to force the same focus setup every day. But the reality is that some days are great for deep thinking, while others may be better for cleanup, editing, or repetitive work. YouTube helps me accept the mood.
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I turn to slow, minimal videos when I need to think or write because they tend to fade into the background. When I finally have to work on tasks that I’ve been putting off, I turn to something a bit faster-paced. I may play a video, but speed it up slightly. This tends to create a sense of urgency that puts me in the right frame of mind to complete the task. The goal of this is not necessarily to push harder, but to use these videos to meet me exactly where I am.
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I use strict rules to keep YouTube from using me
In the end, none of these is practical if I don’t create strict boundaries. I have to be very clear about what I’m not permitted to do while on YouTube; if not, distractions can easily creep in. I avoid the homepage, ignore all recommendations, skip live chats, and close comments.
My work session starts with opening just one video, and I leave it alone. There are a few odd productivity tricks I’ve seen, but using YouTube as a real productive hub may be the most efficient approach I’ve tried.
