Making Distractions Visible: Awareness Over Blocking in Productivity Tools

Most productivity apps rely on blocking and restriction, but this approach often fails to address underlying habits and typically leads to workarounds when restrictions are lifted. This tool introduces a paradigm shift by replacing forced controls with awareness—prompting users to make conscious choices when switching tasks, which research suggests is more sustainable for behavior change. As developers and users increasingly reject friction-based design, this local-first, open-source approach represents a growing movement toward user autonomy in digital wellness tools.