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Henry Godnick
Henry Godnick

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I Block Feeds Without Blocking Apps — Here's How

#tooling #showdev #discuss #productivity

Every focus app I tried wanted to nuke entire websites. Block YouTube. Block Reddit. Block Twitter.

But here's the thing — I actually need YouTube for dev tutorials. I need Reddit for niche programming subs. I even need Twitter for staying in the loop on releases and CVEs.

What I don't need is the feed.

The feed is the problem. Not the app.

The nuclear option doesn't work

I used to add domains to /etc/hosts like a caveman:

127.0.0.1 youtube.com
127.0.0.1 reddit.com
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This works for about 20 minutes until you need to look something up, undo it, and forget to re-enable it. Cold Turkey and similar tools do the same thing at the domain level — all or nothing.

The result? You either block too much and lose access to tools you need, or you block nothing because the friction is too high.

What I actually wanted

I wanted to:

  • Open YouTube and go directly to a specific video without seeing the homepage feed
  • Use Reddit but not see r/all or my front page
  • Check Twitter for a specific person's posts without the algorithmic timeline pulling me in
  • Keep Slack/Discord functional but hide the channels that are pure noise

Basically: use the tool, skip the slot machine.

Feed-level blocking

The concept is simple. Instead of blocking youtube.com, you block the feed elements on YouTube. The homepage becomes empty. Search still works. Direct links still work. You just can't mindlessly scroll.

Same idea for Reddit — block the front page feed but let individual subreddits and posts load fine. Twitter — hide the algorithmic "For You" tab but keep your notifications and search.

I ended up using Monk Mode for this on my Mac. It blocks at the feed level rather than the domain level, which is exactly the distinction I needed. I can still pull up a YouTube tutorial from a link in docs, but if I open youtube.com directly I just see... nothing. No recommendations. No rabbit holes.

The difference is huge

With domain blocking, I'd unblock sites 3-4 times a day "just to check something" and lose 30 minutes each time. With feed blocking, I haven't had that problem in weeks. The sites are technically accessible — there's just nothing to scroll.

It's like removing the slot machine but keeping the ATM. The functional part stays. The addictive part goes.

My current setup

  • YouTube: Feed blocked, search works, direct links work
  • Reddit: Front page blocked, individual subs accessible via direct URL
  • Twitter: "For You" feed blocked, notifications and search work
  • News sites: Homepages blocked, article links from newsletters still work

I also pair this with a simple rule: if I need to look something up, I search for it directly. No browsing. No "let me just see what's trending." That impulse is where the time goes.

For devs specifically

If you're coding and you hit a wall, the instinct is to "take a quick break" on Reddit or YouTube. With feed blocking, that break hits a dead end immediately. You either search for something specific (fine) or you go back to the problem (better).

It's not about willpower. It's about removing the option to be lazy about it.

Anyone else doing something similar? Curious what approaches other devs use for distraction management without going full digital monk.

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