MathPause – Mindful Website Blocker by Em0j

📖 Full Description

MathPause is a website blocker designed to help you reduce distractions and build more intentional browsing habits.

Instead of simply blocking websites, MathPause introduces a short pause before access by requiring you to solve a math problem. This interruption helps reduce impulsive visits and encourages more mindful browsing.

You can control when websites are available, limit usage during unlock sessions, and track your browsing behavior directly in your browser.

🔒 How It Works

MathPause controls website access using a combination of schedules, usage limits, and temporary states.

When you open a restricted site, MathPause evaluates conditions in this order:

Override – temporarily disables all restrictions
Stay Away – blocks access regardless of schedule
Time Schedule
Hard: fully blocked
Free: always accessible
Soft: requires solving a problem
Daily Limit (Soft only) – blocks access when the usage limit is reached

If no schedule applies, Soft mode is used by default.

In Soft mode, you must solve a math or custom problem before accessing the site. You can require multiple problems or disable the requirement.

After unlocking, the site remains accessible for a set duration.

An optional cooldown can prevent immediate re-unlocking after a session ends.

⏱ Time & Usage Control

MathPause provides several ways to control website access:

Set a daily usage limit (applies to unlocked sessions)
Choose how long a site remains unlocked after solving a problem
Enable an optional cooldown between unlocks
Create time schedules using 24-hour format (HH:MM)
Support overnight schedules (e.g. 22:00–06:00)

When the daily limit is reached during Soft periods, access to restricted sites will be blocked.

🧠 Focus Tools

Additional tools help reinforce focused browsing:

Stay Away mode – temporarily block selected sites for a fixed period
Flexible configuration for when Stay Away applies
Math problem difficulty settings (Easy / Normal / Hard)
Support for custom problems in addition to generated math problems
Option to enable or disable the challenge requirement

These features make it easier to step away from distracting websites when needed.

📊 Usage Tracking

MathPause records local browsing activity to help you understand your habits.

It tracks:

Unlock Time
Time spent during unlocked sessions (used for daily limits)
Visible Usage (Per Site)
Active browsing time per domain, shown in history
Stay Away Time
Time spent in focus sessions
Unlock Count
Number of unlocks per day

All data is stored locally in your browser. No information is collected or transmitted externally.

⚙ Customization

From the options page, you can configure how MathPause behaves:

Add or remove restricted websites per profile
Set daily usage limits (by day or shared across all days)
Configure time schedules with Hard / Soft / Free periods
Enable and adjust cooldown duration after each unlock
Choose problem type (generated math or custom problems)
Set problem difficulty and number of required answers
Create and manage your own custom problem list
Configure Stay Away behavior (restricted sites or all sites)
Prevent opening the settings page during Hard periods
🔐 Privacy

MathPause does not collect or transmit any personal data.

All settings and usage statistics are stored locally in your browser.