NoRush feature
A calm pause, not a locked door
Hard blockers feel like a punishment, and people switch them off. NoRush shows a short, kind pause instead, and leaves the choice with you.
In short
During a focus session, opening a site on your distraction list shows a pause screen: what you were working on, a button back to it, and a box to save whatever you wanted to look up. You can allow the site for 5 minutes or end the session.
A small pause
You opened youtube.com during a focus session. That happens to everyone.
Why a pause works better than a wall
Most drifting is not a decision. A new tab opens, a familiar address gets typed, and ten minutes are gone. What is missing is a moment to notice. The pause supplies that moment at the point where it happens.1
Interruptions are expensive. In one study, people who were interrupted worked faster to make up for it, and reported more stress and frustration.2 Catching a distraction in the first second costs far less than recovering from twenty minutes of it.
The tone matters as much as the block. Procrastination comes with stress, and research suggests that low self-compassion explains a good part of that link.3 So the screen says "That happens to everyone", and means it.
How it works in NoRush
- Only during focus. Outside a focus session, NoRush never gets between you and a website.
- A list you control. It starts with common time sinks such as YouTube, Reddit, X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Netflix and Twitch. Add or remove any site.
- One slow breath. The screen has a slowly breathing circle and one main button: "Back to my task".
- Save the thought. Wanted to look something up? Type it into the box and it is saved for later.
- Honest exits. "I need this site for my task (5 min)" and "End my focus session" are always there.
- Three settings. "Pause me" shows the pause screen. "Remind me" sends a quiet reminder instead. "Do nothing" switches it off.
Getting the most from it
- Keep the list short. Two or three sites you really lose time on work better than fifty.
- Use the save box. Most "quick lookups" can wait until the timer ends.
- The screen counts the distractions you caught today. Read that as a win. Each one is a time you came back.
What it does not do
This is not a strict website blocker, and it will not stop someone determined to get around it. If you need a hard lock, a dedicated blocker is the better tool. NoRush looks only at the address of a page, on your device, to compare it with your list.
Who uses it most
College students, Writers, Marketers. Each of those pages shows where distraction pause fits into a working day.
Try distraction pause on your own tasks
NoRush is free for 7 days with every feature included. No sign-up and no card.
Add to Chrome, free for 7 daysQuestions people ask
Does NoRush track the sites I visit?
No. During a focus session it compares the address of a page with your own list, on your device. It does not keep or send your browsing history.
Can I block sites all day?
No. The pause only appears during a focus session. NoRush is a task manager first.
What if I need YouTube for work?
Choose "I need this site for my task" for 5 minutes, or remove it from your list.
Sources
- Barkley RA. The important role of executive functioning and self-regulation in ADHD (fact sheet). russellbarkley.org.
- Mark G, Gudith D, Klocke U (2008). The cost of interrupted work: more speed and stress. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
- Sirois FM (2014). Procrastination and stress: exploring the role of self-compassion. Self and Identity, 13(2).