Shouldn't You Be Working? by gomide_leo

A browser extension that helps you stay focused by intercepting visits to distracting websites and prompting you with reflective questions before you proceed.

Features

• 🚫 Block Distracting Sites: Define a list of websites that tend to distract you (e.g., YouTube, Instagram, Facebook)
• ✅ Whitelist Exceptions: Allow specific sites or subdomains even if they match blocked patterns (e.g., allow music.youtube.com while blocking youtube.com)
• 🤔 Speedbump Questions: Get prompted with customizable questions to make you think twice before proceeding
• ⚙️ Customizable Settings: Manage your blocked sites, whitelisted sites, and speedbump questions through an easy-to-use interface
• 📊 Quick Access Popup: See your stats at a glance

Usage

Initial Setup

When you first install the extension, it comes pre-configured with:
- Default blocked sites: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
- Default questions:
- Is this really what you should be doing right now?
- Do you have more important tasks to complete?
- Will this help you achieve your goals today?
- Can this wait until later?

Managing Blocked Sites

1. Click the extension icon in your toolbar
2. Click "⚙️ Manage Settings"
3. In the "Blocked Sites" section:
4. Add new sites by typing the domain (e.g., reddit.com) and clicking "Add Site"
5. Remove sites by clicking the "Remove" button next to them
6. No need to include http://, https://, or www. - just the domain name

Managing Whitelisted Sites

You can whitelist specific sites to access them even if they match a blocked pattern. This is useful when you want to block a general site but allow access to specific subdomains. For example:

1. Open the settings page (click extension icon → Manage Settings)
2. In the "Whitelisted Sites" section:
3. Add sites that should always be accessible (e.g., music.youtube.com)
4. The whitelist takes precedence over the blocklist
5. Useful for allowing productive subdomains while blocking the main site

Example use case:
- Block: youtube.com (blocks YouTube videos)
- Whitelist: music.youtube.com (allows YouTube Music for listening while working)

Customizing Questions

1. Open the settings page (click extension icon → Manage Settings)
2. In the "Speedbump Questions" section:
3. Add new questions that resonate with you
4. Remove questions that aren't helpful
5. Make them personal and meaningful to maximize effectiveness

What Happens When You Visit a Blocked Site?

1. When you try to visit a blocked site, you'll be redirected to a speedbump page
2. You'll see all your configured questions displayed prominently
3. You have two options:
4. "Go Back To Work": Closes the tab or returns to your previous page
5. "I Still Want To Proceed": Takes you to the originally requested site

Privacy

• All settings are stored locally using the storage.sync API
• No data is collected or sent to any external servers
• The extension only monitors navigation to compare against your blocked sites list
• All processing happens locally in your browser

Customization Tips

Effective Speedbump Questions:
- Make them personal and specific to your goals
- Frame them positively (focus on what you want to achieve)
- Keep them short and impactful
- Update them regularly to prevent habituation

Choosing Sites to Block:
- Focus on sites where you lose the most time
- Don't block sites you need for work
- You can always add or remove sites as your needs change

TODO

• Add challenges to be able to access blocked sites
• Adding stats to follow how much you have gone into the blocked sites
• Add configs to block sites for a determined period

Acknowledgments

Built to help people stay focused and productive in an increasingly distracting digital world. 💪