Do you find yourself mindlessly checking websites and want to get this compulsion under control? In the past, I tried using a website blocker, which would prevent me from going to websites on a blacklist (e.g., ). The problem with simple blockers though is that sometimes I do want to go the websites on my blacklist. There isn’t anything inherently bad about reading the news or checking social media! I just don’t want to go them mindlessly. So sooner or later I would always get annoyed by the blocker and turn it off.
So, for Calm’s first hackathon in the summer of 2017, I built a chrome extension that will redirect you to a “breathe bubble” when you go to a site on your blacklist. After taking a deep breath – a moment of mindfulness – it will allow you to proceed on to the website, if you still want to do so. Otherwise, you can just close down the tab.
If you use chrome, give it a try!
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/calm-for-chrome/lfkkcdgmlmoakojipfnkelpjifglmffe
I have found that for me the extension straddles that line between providing a mindfulness reminder and not becoming so annoying that I turn it off.
If you check out the extension and you do find the bubble occurring too frequently for you, then I added settings that enable you to adjust how often you receive a mindfulness reminder.