Blockers never stuck for me. I’d turn one on, hit something I needed, and switch it off, and the afternoon went with it. It took me a while to see that the problem wasn’t me, or the blocker. It was the blocklist.
Why can’t a blocklist tell work from a detour?
A blocklist works on addresses: youtube.com, reddit.com, x.com. But most of those sites are sometimes work. YouTube has the tutorial, Reddit has the one thread that explains the bug, X has the announcement you were asked to read. The list can’t know which visit is which, so it either blocks work or lets the detour through.
Why do blocks get switched off?
When a block stops something you need, the only fix is to switch the blocker off. It’s meant to be for a minute. It rarely is, and a blocker that’s off protects nothing for the rest of the day.
Why do blocklists go stale?
You block the three sites that got you last month. Next month it’s a different one. Keeping the list current is a job of its own, and it’s always one detour behind.
Aren’t hard locks the answer?
The usual fix for switching blockers off is a lock you can’t undo. For some deadlines that’s exactly right. For everyday work it turns a small wobble into a wall, and next time you think twice before starting a lock at all.
What helps instead?
- Say what you’re working on. A one‑line task is something to be judged against. A list of sites isn’t.
- Feedback in the moment, not a report tonight. Three minutes into a detour, getting back is easy. Forty minutes in, the afternoon is gone.
- A question, not a wall. If the detour is actually work, you should be able to say so in one click and carry on.
- Hard blocks only where they belong. Keep a short blocklist for sites that are never work.
What I built
FocusNod is those ideas as a Mac app. You type the task. It reads the app name and window title of whatever you settle on, never your screen, and judges it against the task. After a minute of clear drift, a dot appears on its menu‑bar ring. At three minutes it asks once: back to the task, it’s for the task, or take a break. It never blocks anything, and it stays quiet when it isn’t sure.
If you do want to be stopped rather than asked, a blocker is the better tool, and there are good ones. Here are honest picks, with prices.