Best Software For Fighting Procrastination And Internet Addiction

Best Software For Fighting Procrastination And Internet Addiction
Photo by Magnet.me / Unsplash

Procrastination is a serious problem for most internet users since Internet has become cheap and available to all. Addictive page ranking algorithms make procrastination more dangerous 'cause services like Facebook, TikTok, YouTube want you to spend more and more free time 'cause more ads means more revenue. It generally feels like "digital hunger", "oh, I missed something!!!", can be also searching for relaxation, hot feelings, "not yet known useful stuff" or just an escape from personal problems into better, problem-free, warm place on Internet.

DNS

Centralization. Sometimes it's a bad word, sometimes good. Programmers trying to decentralize their services for better stability by "donโ€™t put all your eggs in one basket" principle.

DNS can filter out all garbage from devices located in:

  • home
  • office
  • organization
  • school

And more, just set up your devices to use a DNS server you like. Some services like OpenDNS allow custom domain blocking, in popular DNS services like Cloudflare and CleanBrowsing is possible to choose presets like standard protection and family filters.

StevenBlack/hosts

StevenBlack/hosts

This nice repository merges several hosts and remove duplicates. Probably the most valuable asset are host categories:

  • adware plus malware
  • fake news
  • gambling
  • porn
  • social

You can also generate custom hosts files, check the guide here. Permanently blocking adware/malware/gambling/porn make sense, but cutting out social - definitely not always. Facebook and Netflix on working hours are evil, unblocking them on evening should not destroy the working schedule. Build several lists and rotate them regularly will be more useful, something like this:

  • Morning
  • Lunch
  • Evening
  • Weekend
  • Holidays

Customization matters and this is exactly the case.

serverless-dns

serverless dns

Want to block ads, porn, gambling and tracking permanently?
"Self-hosted, pi-hole esque, DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) and DNS-over-TLS (DoT) resolver."

It's super easy to start and configure it, can also be hosted on a PaaS Free Tier or locally.

$ git clone https://github.com/serverless-dns/serverless-dns.git
$ cd serverless-dns
$ ./run n

We're set! Time to set up the block lists, configuration available at https://example.com/configure. Personal block lists are not supported yet.
The service is also available as Android application.

Pi-Hole

Pi-Hole screenshot

Very powerful application, a "dark hole for internet advertisers". Designed for dedicated home devices like Raspberry Pi, but can be deployed on a server too - supports several Linux distributions and the docker image is also available. After setup Pi-Hole should be used as default DNS server, for mobile connection recommended to use VPN 'cause changing DNS to Pi-Hole server can be tricky. Main features:

  • Built-in DHCP Server
  • Manage White And Black Lists
  • Manual blacklist control
  • Regex and Wildcard blocking
  • Long term stats
  • Privacy mode with limited logging

Useful applications

Pomodoro

  • Pomodoro - time control, must have, available on any platform

AppDetox

  • AppDetox on Android, designed for writing complex app rules

RescueTime

  • RescueTime - time tracker with analytics and automatic warnings.

Forest

  • Forest on Android, iOS and Firefox - focus gamification: plant trees with multiple visualizations.

Get Off Your Phone

  • Get Off Your Phone on Android - the app locker with timer, capable to block or filter all notifications.

Super Productivity

  • Super Productivity on Android - the To-Do List, time tracker and personal Jira task manager, all in one.

Effortless

  • Effortless on macOS, a menu bar app with interactive To-Do list for progress tracking.

Bonus advice against procrastination

  • good schedule is the key, invest some time early morning to create it
  • destroy bad and destructive habits
  • stay positive
  • sport activity, workouts, exercises - good shape can't be overestimated
  • give yourself small reward after success, great for motivation
  • vacation, relax, family meetings matter, working 24/7 is destructive

Remember, time is very valuable, use it for serious achievements!

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