Automatically Minimize Desktop Distractions

In Slate a few days ago, Jeffrey MacIntyre wrote about a few small applications he likes to call ZenWare for their supposed ability to cull distractions from your desktop. He tested a few of them out, and came away particularly impressed with Spirited Away for Macs—the PC version is Swept Away—for its ability to hide any program that has been sitting on your screen unused. While he found that the app's strategy can sometimes backfire (like when it minimizes your expenses report so that you can focus all of your energy on your IM session), it was a pretty reliable way to keep him on task.