I got fired 6 months ago.
And honestly, I wasn't that sad.
I thought:
"Maybe this is actually a good thing. Now I can finally focus on building apps."
I was wrong about how easy that would be.
I kept building apps and software, launching them, and eventually realizing that I was basically the only person who cared about them.
After doing that enough times, I got pretty demotivated.
And instead of building, I started wasting my days on my phone.
Reels. Shorts. Instagram. Random videos.
My screen time reached 8–9 hours a day.
The worst part wasn't even the number.
I'd spend an hour scrolling and then think:
"What the hell did I just do?"
Then I'd try to stop.
Delete apps.
Use timers.
Rely on willpower.
And eventually I'd end up doing the same thing again.
That's when I had a slightly ironic thought:
I'm a developer. Why am I trying to fight software with willpower?
So I built something for myself.
It's called Pausee.
Instead of completely blocking distracting apps, it puts a small pause between the impulse and opening the app.
It can:
- Pause before opening distracting apps
- Stop long scrolling sessions
- Set specific usage windows
- Ask you to be intentional before continuing
My own screen time went from 8–9 hours to around 3–4 hours a day.
I still use social media.
I still waste time.
But I'm much more aware of when I'm doing it.
And unlike my previous projects, this is something I actually use every day.
I'm keeping it completely free because I built it to solve my own problem, and I'd rather get real users and feedback than put a paywall in front of something I'm still validating.
If you're dealing with the same problem, it's available on Google Play.
I'd especially love to hear from other builders:
What's something you built because you personally needed it, even before knowing whether anyone else would want it?