A while ago I noticed something annoying about my own work.
I was not getting derailed by opening random websites from scratch.
I was getting derailed by feeds.
I would open something with a legitimate reason, then a recommendation rail, explore tab, or endless scroll would do the rest. A normal site blocker did not really help because the site itself was not always the problem. The feed was.
That is why I built Monk Mode.
I wanted something stricter and more practical for how distraction actually works on a Mac. Not just block a whole domain and call it productivity. Remove the part that hijacks attention.
A few things shaped the product:
- I still need access to useful parts of sites for work
- I do not want to babysit a giant blocklist
- friction has to be low enough that I will actually keep it on
- the goal is shipping more, not feeling morally superior about focus
The biggest lesson for me was that distraction is usually not a willpower problem first.
It is often an environment problem.
If the environment keeps putting a slot machine in front of your face, eventually you pull the lever.
So Monk Mode is my attempt to make the default environment calmer. Less bait, less drift, fewer accidental 20 minute detours.
I am still refining it, but the core idea has stayed the same:
attention is too valuable to leave at the mercy of whatever feed is best at stealing it.
If you are curious, Monk Mode is here:
https://mac.monk-mode.lifestyle
And if you have tried blockers before and they never stuck, I would bet the problem was not you. It was the design of the thing you were trying to resist.
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