I’m excited to share something I’ve been working on for a while now: a Firefox browser extension called Focus Flow Monitor. As someone who spends a good chunk of their day online, I realized how easy it is to lose track of time or get sidetracked by the myriad distractions the internet offers. I wanted a tool that could help me understand my browsing habits better and, more importantly, help me take control. I couldn’t find anything that fulfilled my needs, and so I decided to build it myself.

You can check it out and install it from the official Firefox Add-ons page: Focus Flow Monitor on Mozilla Add-ons

And for those interested in the nitty-gritty or wanting to contribute, the project is open source and available on GitHub: Focus Flow Monitor on GitHub

Why Focus Flow Monitor?

In today’s digital age, our attention is a precious commodity. Many of us start the day with a clear set of tasks, only to find ourselves wondering where the hours went, often after falling down an internet rabbit hole. I needed a way to:

  • Accurately track the time I was spending on different websites.
  • Understand my patterns: Which sites were genuinely productive, and which were time sinks?
  • Regain control by setting limits or blocking distracting sites when I needed to focus.
  • Prioritize privacy: This was a big one for me. I wanted all my data to stay mine, stored locally, with no external servers involved.

Focus Flow Monitor is my answer to these needs.

Key Features

I’ve packed Focus Flow Monitor with a comprehensive suite of features designed to provide insights and control without being intrusive:

  • 📊 Detailed Time Tracking: Automatically logs the time you spend on websites in your active tab. If you go idle (no mouse or keyboard activity), the timer pauses. You can configure this idle duration from 1 minute to an hour, or disable it entirely – useful for watching videos or long reads.
  • 🏷️ Smart Website Categorization: Websites are assigned to customizable categories like ‘Work/Productivity’, ‘Social Media’, ‘Entertainment’, etc. You have full control to edit existing categories and manage how domains are assigned (wildcard patterns like *.google.com are supported!).
  • 📈 Insightful Statistics: Get a clear picture of your web usage. See how much time you’re dedicating to specific websites and categories. View stats for ‘Today’, ‘This Week’, ‘This Month’, or ‘All Time’, complete with helpful charts to visualize your habits.
  • 🗓️ Interactive Calendar View: Jump to any specific date to see your Browse breakdown and top sites. Clicking a date now updates all statistic displays (lists, charts, and focus score) for that day.
  • 🎯 Focus Score: Rate your website categories (e.g., Productive, Neutral, Distracting) to generate a daily “Focus Score,” helping you gauge your productivity at a glance.
  • ⏱️ Advanced Site Blocking & Limiting: Actively shape your Browse habits:
    • Block distracting websites entirely.
    • Set daily time limits for specific websites or entire categories (e.g., “No more than 1 hour on Social Media per day”).
    • Scheduled Blocking: Set specific times and days of the week for your blocking rules to be active (for URLs or Categories). Perfect for work hours or distraction-free weekends!
  • 🎨 Personalized Block Page: Customize the page shown when a site is blocked:
    • Write your own custom headings, messages, and button text.
    • Control what info is displayed (blocked URL, rule details, etc.).
    • Opt for random motivational quotes (curated or add your own!).
  • 💾 Comprehensive Data Management:
    • Easily export your tracking history and all settings to a backup file.
    • Import data from a backup to restore your setup if needed.
    • Data Retention Settings: Set a custom duration for how long your tracking data is stored.
  • 🌙 Theme Support: Includes both light and dark modes, automatically matching your browser or system theme.
  • ✅ Easy Rule Management: Add, delete, and manage all your site blocking, time limit, and schedule rules with a simple interface.
  • ⚙️ Customizable Settings: Tailor various aspects of the extension to your needs, from idle time detection to notification preferences and more.
  • 🔒 Privacy First - Zero Data Collection: This remains a core principle. All your tracking data is stored locally in your browser’s storage. It is never sent to any external server. Your Browse habits are your business.

The web should be a tool that serves us, not the other way around. With Focus Flow Monitor, I hope to provide a small step towards helping people use their online time more mindfully and productively.

Get Started and Share Your Thoughts!

I encourage you to install Focus Flow Monitor from the Firefox Add-ons page and give it a try.

Your feedback is invaluable! If you have any suggestions, encounter any issues, or have ideas for new features, please feel free to:

I’m looking forward to hearing about your experiences with Focus Flow Monitor. Here’s to more focused and productive Browse!