Block distracting websites windows

By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy. Stay Focused and Productive. Download for Windows. Works with Win10 x64 and up.

As mentioned above, you'll only be able to use Cold Turkey on Mac or Windows operating systems. There are two plans available for Cold Turkey. Forest wins the prize for being the most creative website blocking app around. Most other sites are pretty straightforward and focus on functionality, but Forest actually created a completely unique concept. For every 25 minutes you leave the app open, you can grow a virtual tree.

Navigating away from the app in any way will immediately kill your new tree. The concept makes it friendly for students who need help staying focused on school work. The more time you stay focused on the app without getting distracted, the more trees you will grow. Pretty soon, you can have an entire forest of trees standing because of your dedication and hard work. Forest is available for iOS and Android devices, and is also available as a Chrome extension.

Upgrade to the pro version of Forest on Android, and you can plant trees in real life through a partnership with the organization Trees For The Future. Download: Forest for Android Chrome Free. This app isn't entirely focused on website blocking and has even more features as a time-tracking tool to stay productive. That's what makes RescueTime unique. The FocusTime feature lets you block out online distractions based on the time tracking history created in the app.

RescueTime logs all the apps and websites you spend the most time on and lets you categorize them as productive, distracting, or very distracting. The greatest minds of our generation are working around the clock to "increase engagement," which is a tech term that means "doing everything possible to get you to spend every waking moment scrolling and liking things.

Which is why there's no shame in using tools to help you build discipline. This is where distraction blocking software shines.

Turn these focus apps on, and you can't open anything distracting—it won't work. Instead, you'll see a reminder that you set up software to block apps, and you'll be encouraged to get back to work. It's oddly liberating. All of our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software.

We spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog. Don't confuse website blocker apps with parental control software—that's not what they're for.

No, these tools are for you , and they hopefully help you build better habits. We researched this category extensively and considered dozens of options, then evaluated them against our criteria. We think that the best distraction blocking apps should do the following:. In addition, because we're thinking about work, we only considered apps that work on computers—there are no mobile-only tools here. Here's the focusing software we think works best.

Freedom for blocking distractions on all your devices at once. Serene for planning and following through on deep focus sessions. Cold Turkey Blocker for scheduled system-wide blocking. LeechBlock NG for free browser-based website blocking.

RescueTime for time tracking with built-in website blocking. Forest for motivating you to put your phone down. SelfControl for a nuclear option. Most distraction blockers work only on whatever device you're using right now. Freedom can block distractions—both websites and apps—on all of your devices, simultaneously.

No more blocking Instagram on your computer, only to immediately open it on your phone. If you start a session, your distractions are blocked everywhere.

Set up as many blocklists as you want, then start or schedule a session. There's a lockdown mode, which makes it impossible to edit your blocklists while a session is active—consider that if you're prone to working around your own good intentions. There are also optional focus sounds, which are basically ambient background noise from coffee shops or nature. The downside: there's no long-term free version, only a limited trial that lets you run six distraction-free sessions.

That should be enough time to figure out if it will work for you, though. Serene macOS, Windows "coming soon". Serene isn't just a distraction blocker: it's a productivity system built around periods of deep focus. Users choose a list of websites and apps they find distracting, then block them when it's time to buckle down and get some work done. FamiSafe will be especially fit for parents who want to help their children reduce their phone use or ground them super effectively , or employers who are left no other choice than to limit their employees usage of social media and similar distractions.

The app features website filtering, screen time control, location tracking and even geo-fencing, to effectively monitor the target device. In conclusion, there are a lot of free and paid tools to choose from for effective website blocking during your office working hours. The paid versions, obviously, feature a more complex functionality ranging from advanced time tracking and stats reports to location tracking.

We hope this article helps you in figuring out the best app for your needs! Subscribe to our productivity news below and get weekly tips on motivation, leadership, bio-hacking, and more! By signing up you agree to our terms and conditions. We value your privacy and your data is safe with us, plus you can unsubscribe any time.

Check our help guide for more info. Friend's Email Address. Your Name. Your Email Address. Grab the deal. Mindful Browsing. Block Site. Source: Block Site. Source: Freedom.

Using this data, Y-Productive tracks the amount of time you spend procrastinating and actually working, compiles your behaviour in beautiful charts and counts the number of your distractions. Cold Turkey. Focus Me. Source: Focus Me.