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Description
A Chrome extension to help you focus on your tasks by restricting browsing to selected focus sites. "No More Distractions" is the main motive of Monk Focus. I built a simple browser extension to help you stay focused on what truly matters, your tasks. Here’s how it works: You create a Focus Sites List, and the extension only allows access to those websites. If you try to open anything outside your list, bam, it’s blocked. That’s it. No distractions. Just focus. Why did I make this? Because I saw that people struggles a lot with distractions. Even when we had just 2–3 tabs open for work, we’d somehow find ourselves scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, or some random site from the far corner of the internet. This browser extension is made to help people stay focused. First Time Setup: After installing the extension, follow these steps to get started: 1. Click the extension icon in your Chrome toolbar. Find the icon of Monk Focus and pin it. 2. Add your first focus site: Enter a website like `github.com` and click "Add". If you already have opened a website, you will also get a option "Add to focus". Do this for as many websites as you want to add in "focus sites" list. 3. Enable focus mode: Toggle the "Enable Focus Mode" switch 4. Test it: Try visiting a site not in your focus list to see the blocking message Understanding the Interface: The extension popup is divided into several sections: 1) Header: Shows current focus mode status 2) Focus Toggle: Main on/off switch for focus mode 3) Timer Section: Set automatic timers for focus sessions 4) Focus Sites: Manage your list of allowed websites 5) Current Tab: Quick actions for the current website Interface Overview: 1) Status Display Focus Mode: OFF - Extension is inactive, all sites accessible Focus Mode: ON - Extension is active, only focus sites accessible 2) Focus Mode Toggle Green toggle (ON): Focus mode is active Gray toggle (OFF): Focus mode is inactive Click to instantly enable/disable focus mode 3) Timer Display Shows remaining time when a timer is active Format: `MM:SS` (minutes:seconds) Appears only when a timer is running Managing Focus Sites: 1) Adding Sites There are three ways to add sites to your focus list: Method 1: Manual Entry 1. Type the website domain in the "Enter website" field 2. Examples: `github.com`, `stackoverflow.com`, `docs.google.com` 3. Click the "Add" button Method 2: Current Tab 1. Navigate to the website you want to add 2. Open the extension popup 3. Click "Add to Focus" in the Current Tab section Method 3: Quick Add 1. Copy a URL from anywhere 2. Paste just the domain part into the input field 3. The extension will automatically clean the URL 2) Removing Sites 1. Find the site in your focus sites list 2. Click the red "Remove" button next to it 3. The site will be immediately removed from your focus list 3) Site Format Guidelines Correct: `github.com`, `stackoverflow.com`, `youtube.com` Incorrect: `https://github.com`, `www.github.com`, `github.com/user` The extension automatically removes `www.` and protocols Only enter the main domain, not specific pages or paths Using Focus Mode: Enabling Focus Mode 1. Click the toggle switch in the popup 2. The status will change to "Focus Mode: ON" 3. You can now only access sites in your focus list What Happens When Focus Mode is Active Allowed sites: Load normally, no restrictions Blocked sites: Show a full-screen blocking message Special pages: Chrome settings, extensions page, etc. are not blocked The Blocking Screen When you visit a non-focus site, you'll see: Large target emoji(🎯) and "You are in Focus Mode" message Explanation: Why the site is blocked Go Back button: Returns to the previous page Close Tab button: Closes the current tab Disabling Focus Mode 1. Click the extension icon 2. Toggle the switch to OFF 3. All websites become accessible again (But you might need to reload) Timer Functionality: Setting a Timer 1. Enter the number of minutes (1-480, default: 25) 2. Click "Set Timer" 3. Focus mode will automatically enable if it's not already on 4. The timer display will show the countdown Timer Behavior Automatic activation: Setting a timer enables focus mode Live countdown: Updates every second in the popup Auto-disable: Focus mode turns off when timer reaches 0:00 Persistent: Timer continues even if you close the popup Managing Active Timers View remaining time: Open the popup to see the countdown Clear timer: Click the "Clear" button to stop early Extend timer: Set a new timer to replace the current one Timer Notifications When the timer expires, focus mode automatically disables You'll receive a browser notification (if permissions allow) The blocking screen will disappear from any open tab Advanced Features: Current Tab Integration Real-time detection: Shows the current website's domain Smart button states: Add to Focus - Site not in focus list Already Added - Site is in focus list (button disabled) One-click adding: Instantly add the current site to focus list Storage and Persistence Local storage: All data stays on your computer Session persistence: Settings survive browser restarts No cloud sync: Data doesn't sync between devices Domain Matching The extension uses flexible domain matching: - `github.com` matches `github.com`, `api.github.com`, `gist.github.com` - `google.com` matches `google.com`, `docs.google.com`, `drive.google.com` - Subdomains are automatically included Best Practices Effective Focus Lists Keep it small: 1-4 sites work best for focused sessions Task-specific: Create different lists for different types of work Essential only: Only include sites you absolutely need Timer Usage Pomodoro Technique: Try 25-minute focused sessions Break intervals: Use 5-15 minute breaks between sessions Gradual increase: Start with shorter sessions and build up Workflow Integration 1. Morning setup: Add sites needed for today's tasks 2. Session start: Enable focus mode and set timer 3. Work period: Stay on focus sites only 4. Break time: Disable focus mode for breaks 5. Session end: Review and adjust focus list for next session Common Focus Site Categories Development: `github.com`, `stackoverflow.com`, `docs.microsoft.com` Writing: `docs.google.com`, `notion.so`, `grammarly.com` Research `scholar.google.com`, `wikipedia.org`, `arxiv.org` Communication: `slack.com`, `teams.microsoft.com`, `zoom.us` Troubleshooting 1) Extension Not Blocking Sites Possible causes and solutions: Focus mode is disabled → Check the toggle switch Site is in focus list → Remove it if it shouldn't be there Browser cache → Refresh the page or restart Chrome Extension error → Reload the extension from chrome://extensions/ 2) Timer Not Working Common issues: Invalid time entered → Use whole numbers between 1-480 Focus mode disabled → Timer automatically enables focus mode Browser notifications blocked → Check Chrome notification settings 3) Sites Loading Slowly Performance tips: Keep focus list under 10 sites Remove unused sites from the list Restart Chrome if performance degrades 4) Popup Not Opening Troubleshooting steps: 1. Check if extension is enabled in chrome://extensions/ 2. Look for error messages in the extension details 3. Try reloading the extension 4. Restart Chrome browser 5) Blocking Screen Not Appearing Possible solutions: Refresh the page after enabling focus mode Check if the site domain is correctly formatted Verify the site isn't in your focus list Try opening the site in a new tab 6) Data Loss Prevention Regular backups: Note down your focus sites list Export settings: Copy your focus list to a text file Multiple devices: Manually sync lists between computers 7) Keyboard Shortcuts While the extension doesn't have built-in keyboard shortcuts, you can: Use `Ctrl+Shift+E` to open Chrome extensions page Use `Alt+D` to focus the address bar for quick navigation -se `Ctrl+W` to close blocked tabs quickly Privacy and Security Local only: No data sent to external servers Minimal permissions: Only accesses current tab URL No tracking: Extension doesn't track your browsing habits Open source: All code is visible and auditable Updates and Maintenance Manual updates: Download new versions when available Settings preservation: Updates won't delete your focus sites Backup recommended: Save your focus list before major updates This manual covers all aspects of using the Focus Mode Extension effectively. For additional support or feature requests, refer to the installation guide or contact the developer i.e. bikrantpanjiyar@gmail.com