How to block distracting websites — in a way that actually lasts
Blocking a site is easy. Keeping it blocked when you really want to peek is the hard part. Here are your options, honestly ranked by how well they survive a weak moment.
Your options, weakest to strongest
1. Browser extensions & the hosts file (free). Quick to set up and fine for casual blocking, but trivially disabled or bypassed in another browser. Good for honest moments, useless for desperate ones.
2. macOS Screen Time (free). Blocks named sites and app limits, syncs across Apple devices. Better, but list-based and easy to override.
3. Dedicated blockers. Cold Turkey, Freedom and similar add schedules and genuinely hard lockouts. Strong — if you're willing to build and maintain blocklists and remember to turn them on.
4. AI accountability (WithKeel). Instead of lists, you describe your goal and it blocks by intent, intervening only when you actually drift — with a firm mode for when willpower is gone.
What makes a block stick
- It's not all-or-nothing. You can keep what you legitimately need open.
- It catches you early. The first few seconds of drift, not 40 minutes in.
- It has a firm mode. Some sessions need a boundary you can't casually disable.
- It needs no upkeep. If maintaining it is a chore, it dies.
How WithKeel approaches it
You tell WithKeel what you're doing and what derails you, in plain words. Its AI turns that into living boundaries and watches your screen quietly. Drift toward something off-limits and it steps in — gentle nudge or tamper-proof stop. No blocklist to maintain, no new distraction it hasn't "heard of," and everything it reads stays encrypted on your Mac. It's built specifically for the moment willpower fails, which is the moment ordinary blockers lose.
If you need something free right now, start with macOS Screen Time. For blocking that adapts and survives weak moments, WithKeel is in early access for macOS at withkeel.app.
FAQ
How do I block distracting websites?
From free built-ins to dedicated blockers to AI accountability — pick one you won't switch off, which usually means context-aware rules and a firm mode.
How do I block them for free?
macOS Screen Time or a free browser extension block named sites at no cost.
Why do I keep turning my blocker off?
Because it's all-or-nothing and one click from disabled. Intent-based blocking with a firm mode is much harder to defeat.