Block Distracting Websites in Windows with Cold Turkey

Have you ever had the urge to update or check your Facebook profile while you’re at work? Come on, confess; you know you have. We have all been there. You think that you are only going to take ten minutes to do a few things, and before you know it you have wasted an hour or more of your time. Since we all want to keep our jobs and not get fired, we need to

find a way to block those distracting websites.

With Cold Turkey for Windows, you can block any site you want, whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or your local online news sites. With restricted access to those distracting sites, you will see your productivity increase and maybe get more things done.

You can block an unlimited amount of websites and import text files that have domains. If you go Pro, you can add an unlimited number of executable files to block, so you don’t waste time playing videos games when it is time to work.

The Pro version also includes “Scheduled Blocks.” Just color in the schedule to obstruct particular groups at certain times. The sites you program will be blocked every week until you decide to change the settings. Wildcards and Exceptions are also included in the Pro version; you can completely block Internet access except for the few sites you allow.

Do you think that if you switch browsers you will be able to check your Twitter account? It’s not going to work here since Cold Turkey blocks websites system-wide; it doesn’t matter if you use Firefox or Chrome. There is no escaping the software.

Thanks to Lock Settings, you can block a certain site for a particular amount of time. For example, if you need to be distraction-free for just an hour, you can block Google+ (or other sites as well) for that amount of time, and once the time is up, you will have access again. The software can even block sites for three days at a time if that is what you want to do.

Cold Turkey also features Block Groups that blocks a group of apps and websites and divides them into three different groups (Groups A, B, and C) and you can program at what time they are blocked. For example, if you only want to block Group A that contains all the social networks sites when the kids get home from school so they won’t check their accounts when it is homework time, you can do that.

To add a site to a group, just click on “Add to Group A, B or C” and type in the URL in the blank text box right above the three groups and you are done.

Since most of us surf the web on our phones and tablets when we are on the go, a mobile version of the software is coming soon. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long.

Conclusion

With Cold Turkey, you will get back the time you need to finish important projects on time. When all other methods fail, sometimes you have no other choice but to go Cold Turkey. It might be difficult at first, but if you persevere, the result can be rewarding and you will focus your attention on the more important things. What are the sites that distract you the most? Let us know in the comments.