A week of blocking distracting sites at work
Information workers who blocked non-work sites for a week reported higher productivity and longer focus, with the biggest gains for heavy social media users.
The short version
When 32 information workers used software to block distracting websites for a working week, they rated themselves as more productive and said they could stay focused for longer. The people who gained the most were the ones most pulled toward social media. But blocking was not a free win for everyone: some participants simply swapped online breaks for physical ones, and those with less self-control worked longer without any break and reported more stress.
What the researchers did
Gloria Mark, Shamsi Iqbal and Mary Czerwinski, working with Microsoft Research, ran an in situ field study — in participants' own workplaces, on their real work, rather than in a lab. Each of the 32 participants spent five days working normally as a baseline, then five days with software that blocked online distractions such as social media and news sites. The researchers compared self-rated productivity and focus between the two weeks and looked at how individual differences, including self-control, shaped people's response.
What they found
- Higher self-rated productivity. With distractions blocked, participants rated their productivity significantly higher.
- Longer focus. Participants reported being able to focus significantly longer.
- The biggest gains went to the most distracted. People most drawn to social media benefited the most.
- Breaks moved rather than disappeared. Many participants replaced online distractions with physical breaks, such as leaving the office.
- A stress cost for some. Participants with less self-control tended to work longer without breaks and reported higher stress.
Limits and caveats
This is a small study: 32 people, one week of blocking, and no randomized control group — everyone had the baseline week first, so some of the difference could come from novelty or from simply being observed. The main outcomes are self-ratings, not measured output. It was published as a short adjunct paper; the same team reported a fuller analysis of individual differences the following year (Mark, Czerwinski & Iqbal, 2018).
What it means for how you work
Blocking distracting sites during focus time is a reasonable experiment, especially if you know social media is your main leak. The catch is that removing an easy break does not remove the need for one. Pair blocking with breaks you have actually scheduled — the evidence for timed breaks is covered in Biwer et al., 2023 — so you do not end up grinding through the afternoon without stopping. If you track your time, look at whether your focus blocks get longer during a blocking week, and whether you still took breaks.