Throw these somewhere in your profile:

alias zonemode='sudo mv /etc/hosts /etc/hosts.zoneback && sudo mv /etc/hosts.zonemode /etc/hosts && dscacheutil -flushcache' alias zoneoff='sudo mv /etc/hosts /etc/hosts.zonemode && sudo mv /etc/hosts.zoneback /etc/hosts && dscacheutil -flushcache'

Then fill /etc/hosts.zonemode with the sites you want to block:

127.0.0.1 news.ycombinator.com

127.0.0.1 www.reddit.com

Then make sure your user can run passwordless sudo on those commands and you are set.

The inconvenience of the action is what makes it work. If I only had to type `workmode stop` I'd have that committed to muscle memory by the end of a work day or two.

There are a few versions of it in Python, PHP and sh so you can pick your preference :-)

    var hostsFile = process.platform == "linux" ? "/etc/hosts/" : "C:\\Windows\\System32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts";

What if instead of blocking sites, the nonproductive internet slowed down a lot? Then in the 10 seconds you waited for Hacker News to load, you might think to yourself that this is a bad idea and give up.

Has anyone here used Self Control? (http://visitsteve.com/made/selfcontrol/). Sometimes when I block websites, like Reddit.com and this one and few others it makes other websites look weird. Like the page will still load but be broken. I think Self Control is blocking sites the same way this does. Any idea why this happens?

Your mind is not willing to do the task you need it to do and there is nothing you can do about it. (that's my experience)

http://www.clockwise.ee/gasmask/

here's my 'focus mode'

https://gist.github.com/2564478

    env: node\r: No such file or directory

EDIT: Are you using Windows newlines? I think that's the problem.

  https://gist.github.com/3907633

the advantages of using a pac file over /etc/hosts are

* you can safely version control it

* you dont need to install extra software (at least on mac/windows)

* you can gist your determination

for more details of pac file, please dig into the reference link of pacfile:

  http://findproxyforurl.com/pac-functions/

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be well maintained.

Thing is, I'd like these tools to wearing muzzle to lose weight. It's misdirection of effort into avoiding rather than addressing the demonstrated issue of self-control.

# turn on

sudo rm /etc/hosts

sudo ln -s /etc/hosts{.work,}

# turn off

sudo rm /etc/hosts

sudo ln -s /etc/hosts{.play,}

Optimized further (in your ~/.bashrc):

alias work="sudo rm /etc/hosts && sudo ln -s /etc/hosts{.work,}"

alias play="sudo rm /etc/hosts && sudo ln -s /etc/hosts{.play,}"

Optimization cubed (lets you define a base hosts file):

alias work="sudo rm /etc/hosts && sudo cat /etc/hosts.base >> /etc/hosts && sudo cat /etc/hosts.work >> /etc/hosts"

alias play=...

The number of upvotes, the fact that you thought this was necessary and the fact that this application exists all made me facepalm hard. I can't even see right now.