Your browser can be a productivity engine—or a chaotic pile of tabs. The right extensions create order, automate repetitive actions, and protect your focus. Here’s how to curate a lightweight setup that helps you simplify your life every time you open a new tab.
“A smarter browser feels like a digital assistant sitting quietly beside you.
I rotate between Chrome and Arc depending on the project. Regardless of browser, the extension stack below keeps me organised whether I’m drafting articles, capturing research, or managing client dashboards.
The Solution: Curate a Lean, Reliable Extension Stack
Focus on three pillars: organising tabs, capturing knowledge, and automating repetitive tasks. Add privacy safeguards, and your browser becomes a calming command centre.
Download our extension audit checklist
Review installed extensions, rate their usefulness, and remove anything that slows your browser.
Take five minutes to do this quarterly—you’ll keep load times snappy.
Why this stack works
Less tab overwhelm, more deep work
We prioritise extensions that tame chaos and surface the right information fast—without hogging memory.
Organised tabs
Switch between workspaces without losing your place or reopening the same research twice.
Frictionless capture
Clip ideas to Notion or Obsidian with metadata intact for easy retrieval later.
Essential Extensions to Try
- Tab managers. Workona or Tab Suspender group projects and hibernate unused tabs.
- Note clippers. Notion Web Clipper, Evernote, and Mem capture research with one click.
- Automation triggers. Zapier or Make browser buttons kick off workflows like logging leads or saving receipts.
- Password management. 1Password X or Bitwarden auto-fill strong credentials safely.
- Privacy shields. uBlock Origin, ClearURLs, and Ghostery block trackers and cookie banners.
How to Get Started
- Audit current extensions. Remove anything you haven’t used in a month.
- Install essentials only. Add one extension per category to avoid bloat.
- Configure shortcuts. Set keyboard shortcuts for tab switching, clipping, and running automations.
- Create workspaces. Use tab managers to separate personal, client, and learning projects.
- Review weekly. Close stale tabs, archive notes, and ensure data syncs across devices.
Tips and Alternatives
- Match extensions to browser. Arc, Vivaldi, and Firefox each have unique features—choose the one that aligns with your workflow.
- Use profiles. Separate personal and work profiles to keep logins clean.
- Monitor privacy. Check permission scopes regularly; revoke anything that feels excessive.
- Pair with focus tools. Combine extensions with our AI assistant workflows for even smoother days.
Final thoughts
A curated extension stack keeps your browser responsive, organised, and ready for deep work. Take a few minutes to fine-tune it, and watch your day open up.
Build a Workona workspace for deep work
Group research, drafts, and dashboards in Workona or Arc Spaces so you can reopen focused sessions in seconds.
Prefer built-in tools? Arc’s native Spaces and Firefox Containers offer similar separation.