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Focus & Productivity
Tools and habits for getting deep work done, and what they cost.
Focus & Productivity
Open Source App Blockers for Android (2026): The Honest List
Open source app blockers for Android in 2026: which ones have a public repo, a real licence and recent releases, where to install them, and their limits.
Focus & Productivity
Brick vs Opal in 2026: A $59 Physical Block or a Screen-Time App?
Brick is a $59 tap-to-unlock block; Opal is an app with a free tier and a $99.99 yearly plan. Which one locks you out harder, and what each really costs.
Focus & Productivity
Freedom vs Cold Turkey in 2026: Which Blocker Is Harder to Cheat?
Freedom vs Cold Turkey: prices, platforms, how hard each block is to break, and which one fits a laptop-first worker. Plus what to do about your phone.
Focus & Productivity
ScreenZen Alternatives in 2026: 7 Apps That Make You Pause
ScreenZen's pause stopped working on you? Here are 7 alternatives, from strict blockers to apps that loop in a friend, with prices checked and dated.
Focus & Productivity
one sec vs Opal in 2026: A Pause Before the App, or a Wall in Front of It?
one sec makes you breathe before an app opens; Opal blocks it outright for $99.99 a year. Here's what each costs, what the research says, and which sticks.
Focus & Productivity
Opal vs ScreenZen in 2026: Is Opal's $99.99 a Year Worth It Over Free?
Opal Pro is $99.99 a year; ScreenZen is free and donation-supported. Here's what each one blocks, how each stops you cheating, and which to install first.
Focus & Productivity
Why Your App Blocker Keeps Losing to You (and the Fix That Does)
You set the limit, then tap ignore a minute later. Here's the research on why self-set blockers fail, and why handing the key to a friend works better.
Focus & Productivity
The Best Accountability Partner Apps in 2026 (When Willpower Isn't Enough)
Apps where a friend, partner or coach keeps you honest: who can see what, who holds the unlock, and what each costs. Every price and feature dated.
Focus & Productivity
Best Focus Apps in 2026: Blockers, Timers and Body-Doubling, Priced
Freedom, Cold Turkey, Forest, Focusmate and more: what each focus app blocks, what it costs and who it suits. Desktop and phone options, every price dated.
Focus & Productivity
The Best Screen Time Apps in 2026 for Adults Who Want Their Evenings Back
Looking for a screen time app? Free Apple/Android tools vs paid blockers for adults, every price dated for 2026.
Focus & Productivity
Commitment Devices: How to Make Quitting Stick (Apps That Actually Bind You)
A commitment device locks in a choice before temptation hits. How it works, the research, and apps from stickK to Beeminder to friend-held locks, priced.
Focus & Productivity
How to Stop Phone Addiction (Without Throwing Your Phone in a Lake)
Practical ways to use your phone less: notifications, grayscale, a phone-free bedroom and blockers that are hard to undo. Sourced, no lectures.
Focus & Productivity
Best App Blocker for Android in 2026: 8 Apps, From Free to "My Friend Has the Key"
Eight Android app blockers compared on price, free tier and how hard each is to cheat, plus how to block a single app for free. Every price dated.
Focus & Productivity
How to Stop Doomscrolling When You're the One Holding the Key
By default, Screen Time limits can be ignored. Here's what the research says actually stops doomscrolling, and the case for handing a friend the key.