I built Monk Mode because blocking apps was not enough

I used to think website blockers were enough.

They were not.

I could block Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, whatever. Then five minutes later I would end up on the same sites through some side door:

• recommendations inside another app
• "just checking" a creator page
• search results that turned into a feed
• one innocent click that became twenty minutes gone

That was the real problem.

The issue was not access to a domain. The issue was the feed itself.

So I built Monk Mode, a macOS app that blocks distractions at the feed level instead of only blocking whole websites.

That difference matters more than I expected.

When you block an entire site, you often also block the useful part:

• messages
• work groups
• documentation
• a specific video you actually needed

When you block the feed, you can keep the useful surface and remove the slot machine.

That has been a much better mental model for me.

A few things I learned while building it:

1. Most distraction is frictionless, not intentional

I rarely decided to waste time.

Usually I just slipped into it because the product was built to make the next click effortless.

If the feed is there, your brain will sample it.

2. Website blocking is too blunt for modern work

A lot of people work on the same platforms that distract them.

Telling someone to block YouTube completely is not realistic if they also learn from tutorials.

Telling someone to block X completely is not realistic if their work depends on posting.

The better move is removing the addictive part while keeping the useful part.

3. Small wins beat perfect systems

I did not build Monk Mode because I became perfectly disciplined.

I built it because I got tired of losing small chunks of attention every day.

Ten minutes here, twelve there, another twenty after lunch. It adds up fast.

Right now Monk Mode is a paid macOS app. It is simple on purpose. I want it to do one thing well: help you keep your attention when the internet keeps trying to take it.

If you want to check it out: https://mac.monk-mode.lifestyle

If you have ever tried to quit feeds without quitting the whole internet, I would love to hear what actually worked for you.