Going Into the New Year, Workers Use Distraction Blockers

Following a season of warnings and infinite scrolling, workers are reaching for attention blockers to reset their focus. The timing is no surprise: it takes on average around 23 minutes to return to a task after an interruption, according to research at the University of California, Irvine, while informatics researcher Gloria Mark reports that our average on-screen attention doesn’t last for much more than a minute before we leap somewhere else. Against that backdrop, a new year is the perfect time to establish guardrails. These are the best distraction blockers and how to use them for actual results.

What Distraction Blockers Really Do at Work

Contemporary blockers target distractions across three tiers: device-wide controls that block apps and the web, browser-based controls that throw fences around chosen sites, and “friction adders” that slow down your taps just enough to alter behavior. But the best tools also sync schedules to devices, admit only work-critical websites (an allowlist), and sport a “lock” that you can’t override when willpower slips.

Cross-Device Blocking with Freedom and Opal Explained

Cross-device enforcement is non-negotiable for individuals who straddle between their laptop and phone. Freedom, a veteran choice, lets you block websites, apps, or the whole internet across your devices on a schedule or when you need that edge most. Its Locked Mode blocks you from giving up before a session expires, an important defense when a difficult task lures you to the feed. Power users use Freedom allowlists to unblock only the tools they need for deep work; if you don’t want a connection at all, Freedom will power it off.

Opal also adopts an all-platform approach: it uses focus blocks that target categories such as social media, gaming, and messaging. It’s a combination of blocking and analytics — daily limits, a focus score, and weekly reports — so you can see exactly where time goes and if your limits are effective. For students or teams, having sessions built into the schedule during class or core work hours creates a routine with fewer decisions and that, in turn, is the path to making focus automatic.

Hardline Enforcement: Cold Turkey and SelfControl

If you crave some rules that won’t end up being broken, Cold Turkey is brutal in the best way. Cold Turkey does what it says on the tin: You can block apps, websites, or even the whole web for a specified length of time, and once you start a block there is no way to stop it. Its “Frozen Turkey” mode takes that a step further by locking you out of the computer entirely to allow for a scheduled reset. It’s like a concentration boot camp — great for when you’re studying or writing sprints and any gap is enough to derail your focus.

Mac users have long liked SelfControl, which is free and simple and uses an enforced time blocklist you can’t undo. You don’t get scheduling or syncs between devices, but in its sheer bluntness there is something to be said for SelfControl as a last line of defense.

Browser-First Control with LeechBlock for Targeted Limits

When web browsing is the primary offender, LeechBlock is a choice scalpel. This free browser extension allows you to create multiple blocks for various sites within time periods and with limits that you choose. A highlight is the delay timer: tack on a 10- or 20-second countdown before opening up a site, and countless impulsive visits will cancel themselves just in time. The trade-off is discipline — because it’s a browser tool, you can override it by switching browsers unless the same browser is the only vehicle for your work.

Gamified Focus with Forest and Gentle Friction Tools

Forest transforms focus into a small, appealing game: start a timer and plant a virtual tree; if you interrupt your session to check another app, the tree will wither.

Your “forest” grows with time — and you earn coins that help plant real-life trees through Trees for the Future. For some, that small penalty is sufficient motivation to resist the urge of a notification.

Then there is One Sec, which takes a more tender and pointed route: it interrupts when you open an attention sink like Instagram or X. But this app only taps you on the shoulder — it doesn’t slap your hand. The short breathing prompt or delay acts as friction in the automatic habit loop: open app, scroll, lose time; it says, instead, be deliberate — even if you decide to do nothing different. It plays nicely alongside more draconian blockers by taking down the knee-jerk micro-moments that lead up to a full-blown distraction.

Built-in options you’d be crazy to ignore on iOS and Android

Apple’s Screen Time and Focus features, plus Android’s Digital Wellbeing and Focus Mode, have evolved into capable blockers. You can create app limits, silence notifications, filter allowed contacts, and get the settings to mirror from device to device. These built-ins perfectly integrate with calendars and modes such as Work, Personal, and Sleep for system-level consistency but without additional apps. For many, they are the quick and fast road to two or three hours of uninterrupted daytime.

The proof, and how to position your habits for wins

Distraction blockers make sense when they’re reinforced by habits that protect attention. The Microsoft Work Trend Index found that most knowledge workers say they don’t have enough uninterrupted time; structured focus blocks respond to that issue head-on. If the UCI finding on recovery time from an interruption holds, then avoiding just a few context switches can add up to meaningful hours every week.

Here is one possible rollout:

1. Choose a four-week window and take stock of your screen-time stats.
2. Schedule two daily 60–90 minute deep-work blocks during weekdays. Keep to an allowlist and lock mode during these time blocks.
3. Toss in a friction tool for social apps off the clock.
4. Re-evaluate every week and change the blocklist if needed. One realistic early target would be to spend 20% to 30% less time on each of your top three distracting apps, without any loss in crucial communication.

Which blocker to use based on your needs and platforms

If you require cross-device control and scheduling, begin with Freedom or Opal. If you’re looking for ironclad enforcement, Cold Turkey or SelfControl. If the browser is your Achilles’ heel, try LeechBlock. If all that’s important is motivation and habit change, layer Forest with One Sec. Either way, keep in mind that the goal isn’t complete lockdown; it’s eliminating some of those accidental attention leaks so your best work stands a better chance of making its way through.