Introducing Talysman

Most focus apps live on your phone. But the phone usually isn't where the work happens — the computer is. That's where the tabs pile up, where "just checking one thing" turns into an hour, and where the tools that are supposed to keep you honest are one click away from being turned off.

Talysman blocks distracting websites in your desktop browsers and distracting apps on your machine. The desktop app carries a privileged service that does the actual enforcing, and a browser extension handles the web side.

The USB key is the whole idea

The trouble with every other blocker is that turning it off is trivial, so you do it out of habit without even deciding to. Talysman ties the off switch to a physical USB drive you pair with the app. Start a focus session, unplug the key, and put it somewhere inconvenient.

Ending a session early means getting up and plugging the key back in. That's easy enough to handle a real emergency, but just annoying enough that you won't do it reflexively.

Set a policy that fits how you work

Choose a blacklist, an allowlist, or block everything. Add the sites and apps that pull you away, set a schedule, and let it hold. When the dead-man's switch is on, browsers without the extension are closed during a locked session, so nothing slips through the cracks.

That's the whole pitch: a blocker that's hard enough to actually help, and honest enough to trust with your real work. Download Talysman and give your focus somewhere to land.