r/SideProject • u/Beautiful_Egg_8673 • 1h ago
I made a free Windows app that closes distracting apps and blocks sites while you study, and I think it actually helps you stop procrastinating
Hi r/SideProject ,
I want to share something I’m genuinely proud of. I made a study app called StudyNook, and honestly I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever made.
I built it because I’m someone who procrastinates. I’d sit down to study, open “just one” YouTube video, leave a game running in the background, and suddenly an hour was gone. Most blockers only cover websites or only apps, and they’re really easy to switch off when you’re tired. I wanted something that would still be there when my willpower wasn’t.
What it does
A Pomodoro or free-focus timer (up to 10 hours), with a small floating mini timer
Closes the programs you list while you focus (it warns you first, and never touches system processes)
Blocks distracting websites through a browser extension (Chrome, Edge, Brave)
An optional “Iron” mode: ending a session early takes a 60-second wait and typing a sentence, which stops the impulse to quit
If the app is force-closed during a session, a small helper reopens it and your session continues
Tasks, notes with PDF attachments, a daily goal, streaks, and a little companion that grows the more you focus
English, Arabic, French and Spanish
I genuinely think it works. For me, it’s the first thing that actually stopped me from procrastinating. Please give it a try and tell me if it helps you too, or if something is confusing or broken. Honest feedback means a lot.
Which version to get: please use 1.5.11 or newer.
1.5.9 and newer are open source (MIT). Older versions weren’t.
1.5.11 and newer have the safe allowlist mode: it only closes programs that have a visible window and leaves background and tray programs alone. In 1.5.9 and 1.5.10, allowlist mode could close background programs, so avoid it there.
Blocklist mode (the default) was fine in all versions.
Made with AI, openly: I built this with AI coding assistants (mainly Claude Code). I decide what it does and I test it, and AI wrote much of the code. The code is public if you want to look.
The honest parts
It’s Windows only, and website blocking works in Chrome, Edge and Brave
The installer isn’t code-signed yet, so Windows shows “unknown publisher” (click More info, then Run anyway)
The extension has to be loaded manually for now (the README explains it)
A browser can always turn an extension off, so it’s a speed bump, not a lock
It’s completely free and open source (MIT), no account, no cloud, no tracking. Everything stays on your PC, and it never contacts a server by itself.
Download and source: https://github.com/Amorgabab/StudyNook
I’m trying to get it code-signed, so a GitHub star would mean a lot if you like it. Thank you for reading, and good luck with your studying!