I recently built a small Chrome extension called Quiet Window: https://quietwindow.booker-ux.com
The reason was simple: I needed it myself.
For quite some time I had been using another distraction-blocking extension. It worked well for my needs, especially the ability to define hours during which distracting websites were unavailable. After changes to the product and its paid features, I could no longer set up the active hours the way I wanted.
So instead of looking for another increasingly complex productivity tool, I built my own.
Intentionally simple
Quiet Window does one thing: blocks distracting websites during the hours you choose.
There are no productivity scores, streaks, dashboards, accounts, or complicated configurations.
You choose your focus hours, select the websites you want blocked, and that’s basically it.
I also intentionally removed the easy escape route: there is no pause button while the focus window is active. If I decided yesterday that YouTube should be blocked during work today, my slightly less disciplined future self shouldn’t be able to undo that decision with one click.
Small, local, and private
I wanted the extension to be as lightweight as possible.
Quiet Window:
- is completely free
- requires no account
- uses no analytics or tracking
- collects and transmits no user data
- stores its settings locally in Chrome
- has no ads or external APIs
It is simply a small amount of friction between me and opening Reddit, YouTube, or another distraction when I should be working.
That’s all it needs to be.
Try it here: https://quietwindow.booker-ux.com/