Why I Block YouTube Feeds But Not YouTube: The Monk Mode Approach to Developer Focus

Most site blockers have a binary approach: block the domain or don't. That never worked for me as a developer because I actually need YouTube for tutorials, conference talks, and documentation videos. I just don't need the Home feed, Shorts, and recommendations pulling me into a 45-minute rabbit hole. So when I built Monk Mode for Mac , I focused on feed-level blocking instead of domain-level blocking. How it works Monk Mode blocks the attention-trapping parts of sites without killing the useful parts: YouTube : Home feed and Shorts are blocked. Direct video URLs still work. X/Twitter : For You feed is blocked. Profiles, search, and direct links still work. Other sites : You set your own rules — full block or feed-specific. Why this distinction matters Feeds are engineered to capture attention. They use recommendation algorithms designed to maximize time-on-site. A specific video URL is usually an intentional visit — you went there for a reason. The difference between "I need to watch