FocusedMind – A Chrome Extension That Helps You Focus
Let’s be honest – how many times have you started working on something important, only to find yourself scrolling through social media 10 minutes later? Or opened a new tab to “quickly check” something and ended up in a 2-hour YouTube rabbit hole?
I’ve been there. We’ve all been there.
Most website blockers say “NO” and leave you staring at a blank screen, feeling frustrated. But what if there was a better way?
Introducing FocusedMind 🚀
FocusedMind isn’t just another website blocker – it’s your focus coach that helps you build better concentration habits through positive reinforcement and real-time feedback.
The Features That Matter
Category blocking: You can block sites based on category, like Social Media, News, Entertainment and Adult Content. Based on your category selection, the extension will display a warning for blocked sites.
Custom URLs: The list of sites is predefined to keep the extension simple and avoid an API call. So, in the case of a custom URL, you’ve the option to block it in the custom URL setting.
Whitelist mode: Only allow essential sites during focus time
- Real-Time Feedback
- Real-Time Live distraction counter
- Dynamic efficiency rating
- Motivational messaging based on your performance
Why I Built This 🛠️
As a developer, I know several productivity software packages with numerous features, and they all felt punitive. They’d block a site and make me feel bad about it. Also, I felt lost in the features and I wanted something that:
- Encourages growth instead of punishment
- Provides insights into my focus patterns
- Celebrates progress rather than highlighting failures
- Adapts to my needs instead of being rigid
Under the Hood ⚙️
Built with modern Chrome Extension Manifest V3:
- Background Service Worker for persistent session management
- Content Scripts for real-time website blocking
- Smart URL parsing handles various formats automatically
- Chrome Storage API for seamless data persistence
Ready to Try?
— Install FocusedMind on Chrome, use it, and leave your feedback.
— Share with your team and help others find focus to
Heads-up: Chrome may show a warning during installation since FocusedMind is still new on the store. Rest assured — this extension runs locally, makes no API calls, and does not collect any user data. Your privacy and focus are fully respected.I’ll be sharing my journey of building this extension soon. So if you’re a dev with an idea and decent JavaScript chops, you’ll see how visualization turns into execution.
Please comment below with your feedback, suggestions, and features that you think will add value.
