🧠✨ protecting your time from the internet
an action plan
me. my apartment. the internet.
as a freelance writer, this is my reality. but it’s a cruel contradiction, too.
my laptop gives me everything — including infinite distraction and instant dopamine.
it’s like trying to do calculus in a casino, or walk across a tightrope at a rave.
i’m endlessly grateful for it, of course. for me, writing + the internet = a career that’s rewarding, challenging, and futuristic; freer and more surprising than anything i imagined growing up.
but to get work done, i must limit these distracting apps and websites. uncontrolled, they will steal my time and focus, as they were designed to do.
and yet, it’s a tricky balance; i must be able to access them if i need to, whether that’s to research assignments or message friends.
over time, I've created a stack of tools and techniques to help. maybe they can help you, too.
🔨✨ a toolkit for protecting your time
i’m not exaggerating when i say that i would struggle to do my job without these browser extensions, apps, and habits.
for me, social media is the biggest culprit, followed by online shopping. but whatever your vices are, this stack should help you control them.
1. unfollow people you don’t know.
i use this tip on instagram, specifically. it makes the feed much less distracting, and the explore page much less interesting, because instagram has less data on your interests.
before i did this, i my feed was a constant stream of beautiful clothes, gorgeous strangers, and exciting destinations.
now, it’s 90% photos of my friends, and i can look through everything that’s been posted pretty quickly. if you get a notification that says “you’re all caught up,” you’re doing this right.
2. delete the apps.
i don't keep distracting apps on my phone.
this mostly applies to social media apps, but i’ll even delete gmail if I really need to focus, or notice myself refreshing it redundantly.
it is amazing what you will find yourself scrolling mindlessly. i’ve even deleted youtube after realizing that i was scrolling through video thumbnails like they were a newsfeed.
if i need to use one of these apps, i’ll download and delete it (this is faster then you think) or use it on my laptop.
3. news feed eradicator (browser extension)
easily my favourite tool on this list. news feed eradicator literally brings me joy (lol).
when i open social media on my laptop, there is no newsfeed. there’s nothing to scroll, so i can respond to messages or even check my friends’ profiles without getting distracted.
if you want to see the news feed, you can set it to display for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. stayfocusd (browser extension)
stayfocusd allows you to decide how long you spend on distracting websites.
create a blocklist, then set the maximum time you can spend on them each day, combined. you can also activate what they call the 'nuclear option,' blocking access for a time frame you set. i often do this for 2-4 hours when i sit down to work.
i’ve literally whispered ‘thank god’ to myself when this tool prevented me from accessing pinterest or instagram.
if you have an emergency where you absolutely have to access something that’s blocked, you can delete the browser extension.
5. freedom (mobile app)
freedom is another content blocker. similarly to stayfocusd, it prevents you from accessing social media (or any websites you choose) within a schedule you set.
i use freedom on my phone and tablet, to stop me from accessing distracting websites through Chrome. it has the ability to block apps, but i don’t use it that way, because i want to be able to access them if i need to.
controlling these websites doesn’t just help me get work done. it makes me a healthier, happier person, with more control over the content that goes into my head.
i’m not rigid about these techniques. if i’m having a hard week mentally, i might tighten up these controls, or i’ll go through phases where i rely on one method over another.
i hope you too can find value in some of these ideas, and use them in a flexible, adaptable way.
also, hi — thanks for being here. if you enjoyed, feel free to share widely.