You open your laptop to work and somehow end up scrolling. A website blocker for productivity can help: in a Microsoft Research field study, blocking distractions improved self-rated productivity and focus. It works best with a plan.
This guide is part of the wider topic of productivity tools.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers in the Microsoft Research field study (2017) | 32 information workers |
| Baseline period in that study | five days |
| Blocking period in that study | five days |
| Productivity gain reported in one writer’s month-long experiment (2018) | 14% |
| Share of computer time on productive apps in that experiment | about 93% |
| Blocking session length used in that experiment | 90 or 120 minutes, with 10-minute breaks |
These figures come from a Microsoft Research paper and a blog post on Freedom’s site. Figures can change, so check the source before you rely on them.
What a workplace field study found
In a field study by Gloria Mark, Shamsi Iqbal and Mary Czerwinski, 32 information workers spent five days working as usual and five days with online distractions blocked by software. The paper appeared in the UbiComp/ISWC ’17 Adjunct Proceedings in September 2017.
The researchers reported several results:
- With the blocking software, participants assessed their productivity as significantly higher.
- They could focus significantly longer.
- People who were most distracted by social media benefited the most.
- Some switched from online distractions to physical breaks, such as leaving the office.
Note that productivity here was the participants’ own assessment. It is a small study, so treat it as a useful signal rather than a guarantee.
A one-person experiment with blocking sessions
A writer named Ieva Baranova described a month of blocking sessions in a June 2018 post on the blog of Freedom, a blocker maker. Because the post sits on a vendor’s own site and covers one person, read it as an illustration, not proof. You can read the full post on Freedom’s blog.
She used the DeskTime time-tracking app to find her biggest time-takers: Facebook and Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube and Skype. She then split her workday into blocking sessions of 90 or 120 minutes, each followed by a 10-minute break for checking social networks and messages.
She reported that her productivity rose by 14%, with about 93% of her computer time spent on productive applications. She also wrote that the less she chatted during the day, the less she felt the need to browse social networks in her free time. Her family and closest friends knew to call or text if something urgent came up.
Where a blocker can backfire
The same sources flag real downsides. The Microsoft Research paper found an unexpected effect for people with less self-control: they were more focused and worked longer without taking breaks, and so experienced higher stress.
The Freedom post lists practical problems too:
- Some work needs social media, for example clients who prefer to chat on WhatsApp, or company Facebook pages to check.
- Opening Facebook for work meant being automatically distracted by other messages and notifications.
- Sometimes the time she needed a break did not match the length of the session.
The lesson is to keep a blocker flexible. Hard walls with no exceptions or breaks can swap one problem for another.
How to set up a blocker that fits your work
Start with your own habits, not a long list of banned sites. The steps below follow the pattern in the sources:
- Find your biggest time-takers, using a time tracker or an honest look at your browser history.
- Block those first. Social media and messaging were the main culprits in both sources.
- Pick a session length you can keep, such as 90 or 120 minutes, and adjust it to your natural breaks.
- Allow exceptions for sites your job genuinely needs.
- Tell the people who matter how to reach you if something is urgent.
- Take your breaks away from the screen, so a pause really is a pause.
Review after a week. If you feel tense or you skip breaks, shorten the sessions.
Pairing a blocker with other tools
A blocker removes temptation, but it does not decide what you work on or for how long. You can use a focus timer app to set the length of each blocked session and mark your breaks.
To decide what goes inside those sessions, try a kanban board for personal productivity that shows what you are doing now and what is next. Together, the three tools cover what to do, when to do it and what to keep out of the way.
Frequently asked questions
Does a website blocker really improve productivity?
Show answer
In the Microsoft Research field study, participants assessed their productivity as significantly higher and could focus significantly longer with blocking software. That was a small workplace study based on self-assessment, so results for you may differ.
What should I block first?
Show answer
Start with whatever takes most of your time. In the study, people most distracted by social media gained the most, and the Freedom writer’s biggest time-takers were social and messaging apps and video.
Can blocking distractions make me more stressed?
Show answer
It can. The Microsoft Research paper found that people with less self-control focused more and worked longer without breaks, and experienced higher stress. Scheduled breaks help.
What if I need a blocked site for work?
Show answer
Allow it as an exception. The Freedom writer noted that some clients prefer WhatsApp and that visiting Facebook for work exposed her to other notifications, so keep work-related access narrow.
