With that, here's the focusing software I think works best.Ĭold Turkey Blocker is, in a word, customizable. In addition, because I'm thinking about productivity at work, I only considered apps that work on computers-there are no mobile-only tools here. I think that the best distraction blocking apps should do the following:īlock a list of websites and/or apps (determined by you)Īllow you to set a schedule and/or a timerīe annoying (at the very least) to disable I researched this category extensively and considered dozens of options, then evaluated them against my criteria. No, these tools are for you, and they hopefully help you build better habits. Which is probably why I've tested just about every distraction blocker that's come out in that time, and relied on them to get things done for over a decade.ĭon't confuse website blocker apps with parental control software-that's not what they're for. I've written about productivity, in some form, since 2009, and have been very public about my personal productivity struggles over the years. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site-we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. We spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. PawBlock for distraction blocking with cute animal picturesĪll of our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. RescueTime for time tracking with built-in website blockingįorest for motivating you to put your phone downįocus for a combination Pomodoro timer and distraction blocker LeechBlock NG for free browser-based website blocking The 8 best focus appsįreedom for blocking distractions on all your devices at onceĬold Turkey Blocker for scheduled system-wide blocking Instead, you'll see a reminder that you set up software to block apps, and you'll be encouraged to get back to work. Turn these focus apps on, and you can't open anything distracting-it won't work. This is where distraction blocking software shines. Which is why there's no shame in using tools to help you build discipline. The greatest minds of our generation are working around the clock to "increase engagement," which is a tech term that means "getting you to spend every waking moment scrolling and liking things." Trying to fight this with willpower alone is like bringing a water gun to a thermonuclear war. The internet is, at this point, a dopamine slot machine. You could say this is a matter of discipline, and it is, but the odds aren't in your favor. To find out which one is the best, check out TechRadar’s list of the best ad-blockers for 2023.Yes, the internet is a place where work happens, but distractions are always a click away. Intrusive advertising online has gotten so bad you even have the FBI recommending people get an ad-blocker. So it is possible Google is telling the truth and has no real intention of implementing anything.īut if it is implemented, you have to wonder if this whole thing is going to turn into a weird cat-and-mouse game where developers find a way to circumvent YouTube’s ad-blocker detector only for the platform to make stricter tech ad infinitum. These unskippable advertisements cropped up in late 2022, and like today, a YouTube spokesperson back then said the unskippable advertisements were a part of an experiment. Screenshots from Twitter and Reddit posts have shown people getting as much as 10 unskippable advertisements back-to-back on certain videos. None of this would be so bad if YouTube ads weren’t intrusive. Google has been working on the third version of its Manifest API which may prevent privacy tools like uBlock Origin from working as it would remove “key read and modify data permissions”. Don’t think that browser extensions are safe either.
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