Internet is a galaxy of boundless knowledge, but it can be a huge time-waster for some of us. The truth is, for the most part, Internet can break and cut loose our everyday meal of productivity.
If you are not able to conquer your precious time and invest that time for work, then you’re inviting last-minute trouble. Mac OS users are no different in such cases.
I’ve my set of favorite websites, too. I visit them often. Sometimes, I waste my time strolling around these sites to have a laugh or two. However, there’s self-control that one must exercise.
And I like to think that I know when and where to draw the line.
For those who are aimlessly flying on the Internet, you should probably force yourself to block sites on your Mac computer. This quick, short guide for Mac OS X users include several ways to restrict access to websites that shot down your productivity almost everyday.
How to Block Websites on Mac OS X
Open DNS is one of the widely used free DNS which also offers parental control. You can block access to certain websites by registering an account, setting up Open DNS and filtering the sites that are inappropriate. If you are new to Open DNS, start from here.
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- Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard and OS X Lion users can use Parental Control feature available in System Preference. You can block access to Apple Mail, iChat, block websites and do a lot more. Apple has hosted a video explaining how to setup Parental Control on Mac.
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- If you want to block sites from being displayed in Google Search Engine, check out this article — Using Google.com to block sites — to hide websites from showing up in search results.
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- Self Control is yet another Mac OS X application to block websites for a predetermined period of time. If you find yourself short of discipline over the usage of Internet, use this app to block sites like Facebook, Twitter or any other website that eats your precious time. Download Self Control.
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- Stay Focused extension for Google Chrome browser offers a way to access sites for a certain period of time. Once the allotted time is used up, the sites are automatically blocked to help you work in line of your duty.
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- If you use Firefox, check out Leech Block addon to block time-wasting sites that suck the life out of your working day. Another useful addon worth looking into is BlockSite.
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- Safari users should check out the new Waste No Time extension. This extension is similar to Leech Block as it lets you block individual webpages or the entire site for a set of time.
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- Another easy to block sites, advertisement from webpages is to edit the hosts file on Mac. You can manually edit hosts file, or try out Gas Mask, which is a free tool to help you edit hosts file easily.
- Lastly, disconnect the Internet cable when possible. If you are really not able to focus on your work — assuming your work doesn’t require the Internet — then by all means yank out the cable or turn off the wireless router.
