And now I've gotten up the nerve to share it because I think it can be useful to others.
To that end, I've combined two things that have personally worked for me and are also backed by data:
The Pomodoro technique (and time-boxing in general as a task management approach). Isochronic tones (along with other sounds like pink or brown noise). Personally, they have worked better for me than other options like binaural beats, and emerging science also seems to corroborate greater effectiveness (yes, I like to dig up obscure studies, here is some science behind the app https://www.ataraxiaapps.com/en/posts/science-behind-mindfoc...). The novelty beyond the combination of both things is that the tones used aren't MP3s on a loop, but generated on the fly, with an adaptive ramp system to naturally accustom the brain to the appropriate focus frequency.
Likewise, the tone generation algorithm takes into account the time of day (and the natural ultradian rhythms in people) to generate the optimal frequency.
Besides that, I've also gathered what has worked best for me to try to tame my eternal anxiety (for example, breathing techniques like the physiological sigh) or recover an attention ravaged by the algorithm.
I'm oldish. I've lived with and without the Internet, I remember vividly dealing with life (and others) without a screen in between, staying absorbed in one single thing, memorizing phone numbers... or being the owners of what we pay for.
I hate the endless scam of paying for everything and owning nothing, so there is a PRO version that costs like one of those sugar-loaded fancy coffees, but this is not what pays my bills and there are no subscriptions of any kind.
That Pro version includes Flowmodoro (where you can customize work and rest times, adapting Pomodoro to what works best in each person and inviting a flow state) and some additional relaxation and attention techniques.
But honestly, most people can get by with the free version, which I think is quite generous.
The current personal version that I'm testing uses more complex soundscapes built from isochronic tones, once again backed by science.
Likewise, there are no ads in the free version, it doesn't collect statistics of any kind (not even anonymous ones) and the app works 100% offline.
Progress can be preserved if you change phones or reinstall the app, but again it's the old-fashioned way, exporting a JSON file and reimporting it on the new device or installation.
Nostalgia tends to be an excuse to sell people like me on the idea that the old days were "better" (when we were simply younger), but it's true that the absence of constant surveillance, relentless stimuli and real ownership is something worth bringing back.
I could talk all day, but why would you listen?
Mind Focus can be downloaded for free from the Play Store and everyone can check for themselves whether it works for them or maybe not.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ataraxia_a...
Thank you very much for your time... and attention, of course.