A schedule can protect a work period. A daily allowance gives you another option: decide how much time distracting apps get today, then earn extra minutes as you complete planned actions.
The deeper problem is that schedule-based blocking treats distraction as a time problem rather than a sequencing problem. It doesn't ask "have you done the important work?" — it just asks "is it past 5pm?" That's a crude lever, and it's easy to resent. A blocker connected to your real work feels fair, not punitive.
- Timer blockers block regardless of whether you've been productive or idle.
- Willpower-based blocks are easy to override the moment motivation drops.
- Schedule blocking creates friction without any connection to whether work got done.
- Try connecting extra app minutes to completed planned actions.