Popular Alternatives to SelfControl for Mac, Android, Windows, iPhone, Chrome and more. Explore 25+ apps like SelfControl, all suggested and ranked by the AlternativeTo user community. Key features of self-control: 1 - The extension icon, which is located on the chrome bar, shows the navigation time on the site that you are currently viewing. 2 - Contains list of all sites visited and their respective navigation time. 3 - Allows blocking sites based on navigation time and time interval.
Staying on task while every distraction the Web has to offer is just a mouse click away might not be difficult for some of you, but for me it's a challenge. It's especially bad if you're a student or a knowledge worker whose office isn't shared with others who are also getting things done, so I set out to find a way to keep myself from tasting temptation and avoiding the work I had to do. The answer is the aptly named SelfControl.
SelfControl's Main Window
SelfControl is a free app for your Mac that essentially allows you to block yourself from parts of the Internet for a set period of time. It does this in a way that is nearly impossible to disable before the time is up, which is 100 percent the point. If you could easily disable it, it wouldn't work. It also operates in two distinct modes, using a blacklist or a whitelist.
Blacklist mode, which is most common, allows you to specify certain sites which you want to block. When you're satisfied with the list, you simply set the timer and hit 'Start.' You'll be asked for your admin password due to the low-level way in which it blocks sites from you. This is totally normal and I've never had an issue with the sites being unblocked once the timer is up.
Once you start the timer, there's no turning back. However, if you forgot to block a site or you decide you're spending too much time checking MacObserver.com (heaven forbid) while the timer is going, SelfControl will let you add sites to the blacklist while the timer is still running. This has helped me several times.
SelfControl's Blacklist
What if you only want to be able to access a certain few sites and block all the rest? In this case, you would want to use a whitelist. A whitelist lets you specify only the sites you want to see and blocks all the rest. It's great if you need to write a term paper and only need access to your school's website.
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If you plan to use this mode, be warned! You will very literally be blocking all Web communication except for what you specify. This includes Dropbox, Apple services... everything. So be prepared to be cut off for the time specified. I would recommend testing it at the lowest time setting before committing yourself to a whole day of no Internet.
SelfControl is totally free and available at SelfControlApp.com. It totally rocks and definitely helps me improve my productivity throughout the day, and it can also be customized and activated via AppleScript. Enjoy!
'Is there a word for someone who blocks themselves from accessing everything work-related, leaving them only with Twitter?' That's the question I asked shortly after blocking myself from everything Ars in an attempt to test out SelfControl, a simplistic (if not strict) distraction-blocking app for the Mac. Created by developer Steve Lambert for free under the GPL, SelfControl blocks a list of domains for a specified period of time in order to help you focus—presumably on work. The app works with websites, e-mail servers, and, as I discovered, even IRC servers and the like.
Unlike apps like WriteRoom—a word processor that visually blocks you from seeing anything in the background—and Freedom—an app that blocks all Internet access for 8 hours at a time—SelfControl lets you specify exactly what you want blocked through a blacklist while allowing everything else. So, while you'll be able to see your IRC buddies chatting away in the background (if you didn't block it), you can still access the things you need to get things done.
The blacklist has no bells or whistles whatsoever—just start entering domains you want blocked. The only feature it has is the ability to import your e-mail servers, in case you're a compulsive e-mail checker.
The only other element to SelfControl is a slider on the main screen that lets you decide how long you want your blacklist to be enforced. You can choose anything from a few minutes to a few hours, but beware with experimentation, because once you click that 'Start' button, you're committed to being blocked for that entire period of time, no matter what.
That's right—there's no way to stop the block. Quitting the app won't work, and not even rebooting will lift you from your self-imposed jail cell. Lambert must have serious issues with (actual) self control (we kid because we love, Steve), because this app is not screwing around. Incidentally, we investigated to see whether SelfControl modifies the machine's hosts file in order to impose the block, but it does not.
(In my playful experimentation gone wrong, I had to switch computers altogether in order to get this article done. Theoretically, you won't be as stupid as me if you use this application.)
Self Control App Mac Reviews
Assuming you are happy with the blacklist and you click Start, SelfControl places a semi-transparent countdown timer on the screen that you can move to wherever you want. Try accessing any of the websites you blocked and you'll be presented with an error saying the browser can't connect. Your mail, IRC, and whatever other clients will just act as if the servers are down. Enjoy the silence.
Ultimately, SelfControl is not about exercising self control at all. It's an application that is meant to replace your self control with strict, compassionless rule enforcement. If you need that kind of thing in order to get your work done, then download away. If you like being able to moderate your own Internet usage, then this app is definitely not for you.
Self Control Mac App
Or, if you're not entirely sure, go ahead and play with it for a while—it's free! Just keep in mind that you brought this on yourself when you find yourself halfway into your solitary confinement and you need to get to a website you blocked.