Solving my technology problems with technology

January 11, 2023 4:37 PM

The internet is a series of tubes rabbit holes, and I find myself getting lost in them far too often. It's been a few years since I last used a distraction-blocker along the lines of Freedom.to or Focus and I'm not sure what's out there anymore, but I'm looking for something a little different than those two (which I already own). Finicky details inside, but I'd love your anecdotes and personal experiences, too!

Features I'm looking for:

- Has blacklists/whitelists that allow for daily time limits I can "spend" whenever I want, rather than only during a specific time block (for instance I'd like to set a 30min/day limit on reading the news, 30min for browsing Slack, and 30min for everything in the "Knucklebones' Distractions" filter, for a total of 1hr 30min). Lots of other things won't ever need to be blocked. If it weren't for this missing feature, Freedom would be nearly perfect.

- Syncs between an Android phone and a Mac laptop (an Android in the mix means Apple Screentime controls won't work, unfortunately, and I'd really like to avoid solutions that rely on browser extensions, too).

- The settings can be edited/modified online; I'd like to give the password to a trusted friend (who can then change it remotely) to circumvent the dreaded "eh, I don't actually feel like being a responsible adult today" problem that'll start to crop up in a few weeks.

- Disallows overrides (see above re not feeling it), though a little wiggle room is fine.

- Bonus: Does NOT redirect blocked pages. If I have an NYT article pre-loaded in my browser from days ago, I’d like to be able to read it without the page redirecting to a "Whoops, that's not allowed!" screen. (On the other hand, of course I shouldn't be able to open/load new NYT articles.)

- Cost isn't really an issue, though I tend to prefer buy-it-once options over subscriptions where possible.

Also, just in case it needs to be said, please don't suggest that I just develop better willpower, turn off wifi, etc. My work requires the internet and anyway I'd like to avoid context switching and procrastination enabled by dark patterns (and my addictive personality), not the web as a whole. I'm also well aware of non-tech approaches including meditation, exercise, ADHD treatment, etc — but this is a technology question. Sorry to chide, but I just want to avoid AskMe derailment! :)

posted by knucklebones to Technology (2 answers total)

Best answer: I asked a similar question a while back -- I think the Leechblock app that was recommended to me checks most of your boxes. You can set it to blur content beyond readability instead of redirecting.
posted by space snail at 5:07 PM on January 11, 2023

Best answer: I believe that RescueTime will function like this if you make good use of the advanced settings. I have used it for ten plus years on both a MacBook and Android (although now I only use it on the Mac) and it will sync between them. It does nearly everything you want, although will redirect blocked pages (I hate when it does this to an old tab!) and does have an override. The daily whitelists and blacklists, both for websites and for apps/programs, are a great feature that I have used to great effect with RescueTime just as you describe, and I like the features that allow me to set goals not just to avoid things but also to work on particular projects or in particular programs every day/on specific days.
posted by twelve cent archie at 5:09 PM on January 11, 2023