The Distraction-Free YouTube Setup Guide

The Problem We're Solving

You need the internet to run your business.

But the internet is also designed to steal your attention.

Every major platform has teams of engineers, psychologists, and data scientists working around the clock to keep you scrolling. They're not evil. They're just very, very good at their jobs.

And you're one person with a to-do list and finite willpower.

That's not a fair fight.

So we're not going to fight it. We're going to sidestep it entirely.

This guide walks you through the exact setup I use to:

• Block distracting sites by default
• Create a "pause" that breaks unconscious habits
• Access YouTube videos when I actually need them
• Skip the feed, recommendations, and autoplay entirely

No willpower required. Just a better environment.

The Core Philosophy

Most productivity advice tells you to try harder.

Be more disciplined. Have more willpower. Just focus.

That's terrible advice.

Willpower is a finite resource. It depletes throughout the day. By the time you're tired, stressed, or just bored for 30 seconds - you're going to click the thing.

The real solution isn't more discipline.

It's designing an environment where discipline becomes irrelevant.

That means:

• Making the wrong choice harder (not impossible, just harder)
• Creating friction before you do something mindlessly
• Giving yourself a pause to ask "do I actually want to do this?"

That pause changes everything.

The Tool: Screen Zen

Screen Zen is the app that makes this whole system work.

It's available for both your phone and computer. I use it on both.

Here's what makes it different from other blockers:

Most blockers are all-or-nothing. You block a site, you can't access it. Period.

Screen Zen creates a delay instead of a hard block.

When you try to visit a blocked site, it makes you wait. It asks you how long you want to use it. It forces you to make a conscious choice.

That moment of friction is everything.

90% of the time, that pause is enough. You realize you were just acting on autopilot and you close the tab.

The other 10% of the time, you actually need the thing - and you can still access it.

It's not about locking yourself out. It's about waking yourself up.

My Setup: Two Block Groups

I keep things simple with two block groups.

Block Group 1: Games

I blocked all games except one that I use while listening to podcasts or audiobooks.

Everything else that has the potential to eat hours of my day? Blocked by default.

Can I still access them if I really want to? Yes.

But the pause is usually enough to break the habit loop before I waste an afternoon.

Block Group 2: Websites (Default Block with Allow List)

This is the big one.

I have all websites blocked by default.

Then I maintain an allow list of sites that are fine for me to use freely.

When I go to a new site, it gets blocked. Then I make a choice:

• Is this site a useful tool? Add it to the allow list.
• Is this site a potential time sink? Leave it blocked.

For me, LinkedIn is on the allow list. I don't tend to lose hours there.

Reddit, Facebook, Instagram? Those stay blocked.

You'll figure out your own list pretty quickly. The key is starting from "blocked by default" instead of "allowed by default."

The YouTube Problem

Here's where it gets tricky.

YouTube is genuinely useful. Tutorials, breakdowns, explanations - there's real value there.

But YouTube is also one of the most sophisticated attention-capture machines ever built.

The problem isn't the video you went there to watch.

The problem is everything around the video:

• The homepage feed showing you "recommended" content
• The sidebar full of related videos
• The autoplay that queues up the next thing before you can think
• The comments section pulling you into debates

That's not YouTube helping you find what you need.

That's YouTube keeping you on the platform as long as possible.

So blocking YouTube entirely doesn't work - sometimes you actually need it.

But unblocking YouTube is dangerous - you might need a 10-minute video but end up there for an hour.

The solution? Watch YouTube videos without YouTube.

The Workaround: Distraction-Free Video Players

There are sites that let you watch YouTube videos without all the stuff around them.

No feed. No recommendations. No autoplay. No comments.

Just the video.

I use one called purify-video.github.io

It's free. You paste in a YouTube URL, and it plays the video in a clean interface.

That's it. Nothing else trying to grab your attention.

The Complete Setup (Step by Step)

Here's exactly how to set this up:

Step 1: Install Screen Zen

Download Screen Zen on your phone and/or computer.

The free version works fine to start. You can upgrade later if you want more features.

Step 2: Create Your Games Block Group (Optional)

If games are a time sink for you:

1. Create a new block group called "Games"
2. Add the games that tend to eat your time
3. Leave any games that aren't problematic for you

Step 3: Create Your Websites Block Group

1. Create a new block group called "Websites"
2. Set it to block ALL websites by default
3. Start building your allow list with sites you trust yourself on

Sites to consider for your allow list:

• Work tools (your CRM, project management, email)
• Reference sites (documentation, dictionaries)
• Anything you use productively without getting sucked in

Sites to consider leaving blocked:

• Social media platforms
• News sites
• Reddit
• Anything with an infinite scroll or algorithmic feed

Step 4: Block YouTube

Make sure YouTube (youtube.com) is NOT on your allow list.

It should be blocked by default along with everything else.

Step 5: Add a Distraction-Free Player to Your Allow List

Add purify-video.github.io to your allow list.

This is your clean way to watch YouTube videos when you need them.

Step 6: Use It

When you need to watch a YouTube video:

1. Find the video URL (you can search Google for the video and copy the link without going to YouTube)
2. Go to purify-video.github.io
3. Paste the URL
4. Watch the video
5. Close the tab

No feed. No recommendations. No rabbit hole.

Making It Stick

A few tips from my experience:

Start strict, then loosen.

It's easier to add sites to your allow list than to remove them later. Start with almost everything blocked and add things as you genuinely need them.

Don't aim for perfect.

You'll slip up. You'll unblock something you shouldn't. You'll waste time occasionally.

That's fine. The goal isn't perfection. The goal is less wasted time with less effort.

Pay attention to what you keep unblocking.

If you find yourself constantly unblocking the same site, that's data. Either add it to your allow list (if it's genuinely useful) or recognize it's a problem area that needs to stay blocked.

Remember: the pause is the point.

You're not trying to lock yourself out of the internet. You're trying to create a moment of consciousness before you do something on autopilot.

That moment is where the magic happens.

The Bottom Line

You're not lazy. You're not undisciplined. You're not broken.

You're just trying to do focused work in an environment that's been engineered to prevent exactly that.

The solution isn't to try harder.

The solution is to change the environment.

Block by default. Allow by exception. Watch videos without the ecosystem.

Let the system do the work so you don't have to.

Questions about the setup? Reach out and let me know what you're running into.