The latest articles on DEV Community by Michael Brown (@michael_brown_e5d8c333f07). https://dev.to/michael_brown_e5d8c333f07 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4219276%2Fe89bd8ae-ee39-4d5a-9518-4c131cb78824.png https://dev.to/michael_brown_e5d8c333f07 en Michael Brown Tue, 03 Nov 2026 15:00:00 +0000 https://dev.to/michael_brown_e5d8c333f07/i-couldnt-stop-doomscrolling-so-i-built-an-app-that-makes-me-earn-my-screen-time-free-2699 https://dev.to/michael_brown_e5d8c333f07/i-couldnt-stop-doomscrolling-so-i-built-an-app-that-makes-me-earn-my-screen-time-free-2699 <p>It It was 11:30 PM.</p> <p>I’d told myself “just 5 more minutes” on Instagram at 9. I hadn’t moved from the couch. Three things on my list. I did zero of them.</p> <h2> The worst part? </h2> <p>I knew I was doing it. And I still couldn’t stop.</p> <p>I have ADHD, and “just be disciplined” is not a strategy for my brain. Habit apps didn’t help either: notifications I swipe away, streaks I feel guilty about for 3 seconds, dashboards that track my failures beautifully.</p> <p>I needed procrastination to cost something. So I built it.</p> <p>NichiHab blocks your distracting apps (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, whatever) until you physically prove you did a real task.</p> <h2> Pick the apps you want blocked </h2> <p>Get a task: make your bed, read for 10 minutes, do push-ups<br> Take a photo as proof<br> Gemini AI verifies it in real time. No old screenshots, no cheating<br> Only then do you earn screen time</p> <p>Thinking “I’ll just uninstall it”? Hard Mode blocks phone settings and prevents uninstalling during an active session. You made a commitment, and the app holds you to it.</p> <p>It felt brutal the first time I used it on myself.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Faz6yciyli9dci52sx3s5.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Faz6yciyli9dci52sx3s5.png" alt=" " width="456" height="248"></a></p> <h2> Under the hood </h2> <p>Kotlin + C++ (security layer), Jetpack Compose, Hilt, CameraX, Gemini 2.0 Flash. No backend, no accounts. </p> <p>I couldn’t finish it. And that’s okay.</p> <p>I built this solo, and at some point I hit a wall: life, time, energy. Some flows are rough. The AI verification has edge cases. But the core works, and sitting on unfinished code helps no one.</p> <h2> So it’s open source. </h2> <p>Clone it, run it, break it. Open an issue or send a PR.</p> <p>👉 github.com/alepoll/NichiHab</p> <p>site: nichihab.netlify.app</p> ai opensource android productivity