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Henry Godnick
Henry Godnick

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Why I built Monk Mode: willpower is a terrible product spec

A lot of my work problems were not really work problems. They were attention problems.

I could have another tab, another feed, another quick check, another tiny distraction, and suddenly the day was gone.

That is the reason I started building Monk Mode.

I did not want a fancy motivation app. I wanted a hard boundary between me and the stuff that steals my focus.

The idea was simple:

  • make distraction harder
  • make focus the default
  • reduce the need to keep fighting myself every 5 minutes

Solo dev life taught me something annoying but useful. Willpower is unreliable. Systems are better.

If a tool can remove a decision, shrink a temptation, or make the wrong path inconvenient, that is real value.

Monk Mode is my attempt to turn that into a product.

I am still shipping, still learning, and still very aware that the easiest way to waste a day is to convince yourself you are just "checking something real quick."

That phrase is a liar.

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