Heyday – Make the Internet Less Addictive
A bold, playful Heyday logo representing the Chrome extension that makes the internet less addictive by simplifying distracting websites and protecting your focus.
Heyday is a browser-based focus and attention management tool that makes distracting websites less addictive so you can stay online without falling off track. By stripping away feeds, recommendations, and visual hook and adding smart nudges like grayscale mode, slowed loading (coming soon), and blocks, Heyday helps you reclaim your focus without going fully offline. It is ideal for knowledge workers, students, remote professionals, ADHD and neurodivergent users, and anyone who finds themselves doom‑scrolling instead of doing deep work.
Quick Overview
Type: Chrome Extension / Browser Productivity Tool
Pricing:
Heyday is a Free Chrome extension for now, with plans in development to bring it to Firefox, Edge, and Safari so you can stay focused across your favourite browsers.
Best For:
Knowledge workers and creators who research and read a lot online
Students and self-learners who get sucked into social feeds
Remote workers who need to reduce browser-based distractions
People with ADHD or focus challenges who want softer, flexible controls rather than hard blocks
Category: Focus & Productivity, Website Blocker / Attention Management
Website: https://www.heydayfocus.com
What is Heyday?
Heyday is a Chrome extension designed to “make the internet less addictive” by transforming how distracting websites appear and behave while you browse. Instead of forcing you to block everything, it lets you customize the impact per site turning feeds gray, slowing loading (coming soon), or fully blocking when needed.
The extension includes 400+ pre‑categorized sites (social media, entertainment, news, etc.) while also allowing you to add your own. You can then apply different “impacts” (Block, Decolour, Remove Newsfeeds, Ignore) and schedule when those impacts are active during the day. This turns Heyday into a flexible focus layer over your browser that respects your habits but gently nudges you back toward intentional work.
Beyond pure blocking, Heyday emphasizes emotional and cognitive benefits: lower digital overload, fewer micro-distractions, calmer days, and a stronger sense of agency over your online environment. For users who rely on the web but feel manipulated by addictive UI loops, Heyday provides a middle ground between full restriction and total freedom.
Key Features
Remove Addictive Feeds – Strip away newsfeeds, stories, recommendations, and sidebars from social and content sites so you can check messages without falling into endless scrolling.
Black & White Mode (Decolour) – Make sites less visually stimulating by turning them grayscale, reducing the dopamine hit that keeps you hooked.
Slow Down Addictive Sites (Coming Soon) – Introduce small delays so that jumping to a distraction no longer feels instant and effortless, giving your brain a chance to reconsider.
Block Access When Needed – Fully block selected sites during deep work, exams, or critical focus sessions while allowing access at other times.
400+ Pre‑Categorized Sites – Start quickly with built‑in categories covering common social, entertainment, and distracting websites, or add your own domain list.
Custom Schedules – Set time-based rules so different sites are blocked or modified at specific times of day (e.g., strict during work hours, lighter in the evening).
Progress Tracking – View how much time you’ve saved before and after using Heyday to stay motivated and see tangible improvements in your digital habits.
Works in the Background – Once configured, Heyday runs quietly while you browse, shaping your environment without constant manual intervention.
👍 Pros
Focus-first design that directly targets doom-scroll behavior and addictive UI patterns rather than just blocking whole websites.
Flexible “impacts” (Block, Decolour, Remove Newsfeeds) allow you to fine-tune how strict or gentle each site’s controls should be.
Time-based scheduling makes it easy to separate work hours from leisure time without constantly toggling settings.
400+ pre‑categorized sites dramatically reduce setup time for new users who don’t want to build lists from scratch.
Emphasis on mental health and emotional well‑being—Heyday frames focus as reducing overload and supporting calmer, less reactive days.
Progress tracking gives clear feedback on time saved, helping reinforce good habits and showing that your changes are working.
Runs entirely in the browser, so there is no need to change your operating system or switch devices.
👎 Cons
Chrome‑first implementation means users on other browsers will need to wait until the extension is available on Firefox, Edge, and Safari to use it everywhere they browse. The team has these versions on their roadmap and plans to release them soon.
The effectiveness depends on user configuration and without thoughtful site choices and scheduling, results may feel limited.
Some users might find the grayscale or slowed loading experience visually unpleasant at first, requiring a short adjustment period.
Not a full project/task manager; you may still need separate tools for planning, task lists, and time tracking, using Heyday as a support layer for focus.
Pricing
Heyday is a free browser extension that puts your privacy and wellbeing first, without relying on selling your data. You simply head to the Chrome Web Store, install the extension, walk through a quick setup, and you’re ready to start using it.
Integrations
Heyday does not function as an integration hub like ClickUp or Zapier; instead, it integrates deeply with your browser experience itself. Its core “integration” is with the sites you visit and it modifies or blocks their UI and behavior based on your rules.
Because of this design, Heyday works alongside your existing productivity stack (task managers, calendars, note apps) rather than replacing them. You keep your current tools but make the surrounding web less distracting.
Learning Curve
Beginner Friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
Heyday is relatively straightforward to set up: you choose sites, pick the type of impact (Block, Decolour, Remove Newsfeeds, Schedule, Ignore), and then set schedules. Most users can get a basic configuration running in a few minutes.
The main learning curve lies in fine-tuning rules so they match your actual behavior and deciding which sites should be strictly blocked and which only need mild nudging. After a few days of use and small adjustments, Heyday becomes a natural part of your browsing routine and requires very little ongoing management.
Best Use Cases
Reducing doom‑scrolling on social media while still allowing essential messaging or group access.
Creating a calmer research and reading environment by stripping away recommendation carousels, trending boxes, and infinite scroll.
Supporting ADHD and neurodivergent users who benefit from environment-based constraints and gentle friction instead of pure willpower.
Protecting focus during work or study hours with strict rules, while loosening restrictions in the evenings or weekends.
Complementing other productivity tools (task managers, calendars, note apps) by making the browser itself less of a distraction trap.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Heyday and how does it work?
Heyday is a Chrome extension that makes the internet less addictive by changing how distracting websites look and behave while you browse. It removes feeds and recommendations, decolors pages, or blocks sites entirely, all based on rules and schedules you configure.
2. Is Heyday free to use?
Yes, this version of Heyday Focus (“Simplify the web” from heydayfocus.com) is offered as a free Chrome extension, as stated in its Chrome Web Store listing and recent launch posts. You simply add it to Chrome and start configuring sites, without any paid plan required at this time.
3. What kinds of distractions can Heyday block or reduce?
Heyday can remove newsfeeds, stories, recommendation carousels, sidebars, and other addictive UI elements from social and content sites so you can check messages without doom‑scrolling. It can also turn pages black and white, slow down how quickly sites load, or fully block specific domains when you need strict focus.
4. Can I customize which sites Heyday affects?
Yes. Heyday includes over 400 pre‑categorized sites to get you started, and you can add your own websites to the list. For each site, you choose an “impact” (Block, Decolour, Remove Newsfeeds, or Ignore) and decide when those rules should apply.
5. Does Heyday work on a schedule?
Heyday lets you set schedules so restrictions activate automatically at certain times of day, such as during work hours or study sessions. This allows you to have stricter rules when you need deep focus and lighter rules when you are off the clock, without constantly toggling settings.
6. How does Heyday help with focus, ADHD, or overwhelm?
By removing attention‑grabbing feeds, notifications, and addictive loops, Heyday reduces digital overload and gives your brain a calmer environment to work in. Over time, this helps retrain your attention, cut down micro-distractions and stress, and make it easier to stay present on the task in front of you.
7. Does Heyday replace my task manager or other productivity apps?
No, Heyday is not a project or task manager; it is a focus layer that sits on top of your browser. You still use your existing tools, such as task managers, note apps, and calendars, while Heyday makes the surrounding web less distracting so those tools are easier to stick with.
Alternative Apps
If Heyday is not the right fit, you might consider:
RescueTime – Automatic time tracking that shows exactly where your time goes, helping you spot and reduce digital distractions.
Bluebird Focus Timer – Beautiful Pomodoro‑style focus timer with distraction blocking and Apple ecosystem support, ideal for structured deep‑work sessions.
Sunsama – Intentional daily planner that combines calendar + tasks to help you plan realistic workdays and avoid overcommitting, great for building healthier focus habits.
Forest – Gamified focus timer for mobile and browser that encourages staying off distracting sites by growing virtual trees during focus sessions.
Bottom Line
Heyday is a focused attention-management extension that reshapes how distracting websites appear and behave, helping you reclaim deep work without abandoning the internet altogether. With flexible impacts, smart scheduling, and time‑saved tracking, it is particularly powerful for knowledge workers, students, and ADHD users who want gentler, smarter friction instead of hard bans.
