Is YouTube Helping You or Hijacking You?

YouTube has taught me a lot, but it’s also where I’ve lost way too much time.

It's something I open without thinking.

Just to fill a moment… and then suddenly I’m five videos deep, not even sure what I came for.

It can feel productive, tutorials, motivation, educational and "practical" content - but most of the time, it just delays the thing I actually wanted to do.

So, I’m building FocusTube, a browser extension for Chrome and Safari that helps you stay intentional on YouTube. It:

- Blocks Shorts + spiral triggers

- Nudges you gently when you're drifting

- Keeps you in control and lets you watch what matters

- Learns your habits over time to adapt support to your goals

Not a hard blocker, or a guilt trip. Just a smarter way to use YouTube without letting it hijack your day.

If that resonates, I’d love your input - this 2-minute form helps me shape the tool to solve this problem 🙏

Q1: How much time do you spend on YouTube each week?

1

Less than 1 hour

2

1 to 5 hours

3

5 to 10 hours

4

10+ hours

5

Honestly...I'm scared to check

Q2: What frustrates you most about how you use YouTube?

1

I fall into “productive” rabbit holes (tutorials, business content, etc.)

2

Shorts hijack my brain completely

3

I over-consume instead of doing the work

4

I don’t know how to use it intentionally anymore

5

I’ve tried to limit it, but nothing sticks

6

I go on to learn something, but lose hours jumping between creators

7

Other

Please specify what else frustrates you (optional)

Q3: Have you ever tried to control your YouTube use?

1

Yes, using blockers (e.g. Cold Turkey, Freedom)

2

Yes, deleting the app or setting timers

3

Yes, manually trying to stay disciplined

4

No, but I probably should

5

Other

Please specify what else you have tried (optional)

Q4: How well did those efforts work for you?

1

They worked really well

2

Helped a bit, then wore off

3

Didn’t really work, I just find ways around them

4

Haven’t tried anything yet

Q5: Imagine a browser extension for Chrome + Safari that:

- Blocks Shorts + autoplay traps

- Lets you watch what matters without distractions

- Nudges you gently when you're drifting

- Learns your habits and adapts to your focus goals

- Shares insights on your habits

Q5: Imagine a browser extension for Chrome + Safari that:

1

Yes - I’d use this 100%

2

Maybe, sounds interesting

3

Not for me

Q6: In an ideal world, how would you want to use YouTube and how would it feel?

Example: “Watch one video, take action, and move on.”

Q7: If this tool genuinely helped you stay focused and stop wasting time on YouTube, how much would you be willing to pay monthly for it ($USD)? Even if the answer is $0, it helps

Q8: What would make this tool really worth paying for, or paying more for?

(Whether you’d pay now or not, curious to hear what would make it truly valuable to you.)

Do you want early access when the first version's ready?

Drop your email below and I'll send you the link when we're live!

(We’ll never spam or share your email.)

What is your name?

Would you be open to a short 10–15 min user call to shape the tool? (optional)

Yes, happy to chat (you can reach me via email)