Block one distracting digital route
Put a small barrier between opening your work and sliding into an unrelated app or website.
Not ratedADHD evidence
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Name the one app or website that most often breaks into a task you want to finish.
5 minutes
Set one temporary limit using a tool you already have.
15 minutes
Test that limit during one small task and note what still needs to stay accessible.
A plan
Test a useful barrier
- Identify one recurring digital detour.
- Try a limited block during one task.
- Keep, adjust or remove the barrier based on what happened.
How sure the science is
Not rated, ADHD evidence
No pooled trials to rate. This rests on single studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Measured in people with ADHD.
ADHD-specific NHS study guidance recommends blockers; the measured trial is a general adult two-week full mobile internet block; no formal certainty rating.
The number, drawn
Use apps that block distractions
Why it matters
In a general adult randomised trial, blocking all smartphone internet for two weeks, with calls and texts still working, improved sustained attention. Sticking with it was hard: only 119 of 467 people who agreed, 25.5%, kept the block on for most days, and the authors suggest less restrictive blocks may work better. NHS ADHD study advice recommends blocking apps for distracting sites, so a small, targeted block during one task is the practical version, and its ADHD-specific benefit is unmeasured.
How to do it
- Name the app or site that most often pulls you away from a task you chose.
- Use a built-in limit or blocker for a short, planned work period.
- Leave open the tools and contacts you actually need.
- See whether the barrier helped before adding more restrictions.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- Block a shopping site while you submit a work form.
- Limit a distracting feed during a planned study period, leaving course resources available.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeBlock everything and the task becomes impossible. Allow the resources you need.
- Common mistakeGetting around a limit feels like failing. Shorten the period, or block a more specific distraction.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- C Small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- The number
- Use apps that block distractions (Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, 2026)
- Benefit
- 39/100 The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Quick win
Sources
- Tier 1 guidelineEducation (ADHD: while you wait)Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, 2026
- Tier 2 studyBlocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-beingPNAS Nexus, 2025
- Tier 1 guidelineADHD in adultsNHS, 2025
General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.