Lock In - Focus & Productivity Desktop Application

Tool that allows you to lock-in! Focus on your projects and work without doomscrolling and brainrot to distract and procrastinate your work!

Overview

Lock In is a desktop application designed to help you maintain deep focus by blocking all applications except those you whitelist. When you start a focus session, the app goes fullscreen, closes all non-whitelisted apps, and prevents them from being reopened until your session ends.

Features

• Focus Sessions: Set a duration and list of allowed apps for distraction-free work
• App Blocking: Automatically closes and prevents non-whitelisted apps from running
• Real-time Monitoring: Continuously monitors and blocks attempts to open distracting apps
• Session Tracking: Stores all session data including duration, apps blocked, and completion rate
• Statistics Dashboard: View your productivity trends, total focus time, and most blocked apps
• Emergency Exit: Safe way to exit a session early if needed
• Modern UI: Clean, dark-themed interface with real-time updates

Tech Stack

• Language: Python 3.11+
• GUI Framework: PyQt6
• Process Management: psutil
• Database: SQLite

Project Structure

LockIN/
├── main.py                 # Application entry point
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
├── ui/                     # UI components
│   ├── main_window.py     # Main window with all screens
│   └── widgets.py         # Custom reusable widgets
├── core/                   # Business logic
│   ├── app_blocker.py     # Process management & blocking
│   ├── session_manager.py # Session coordination
│   └── stats_tracker.py   # Statistics & analytics
├── database/               # Database layer
│   ├── db_manager.py      # SQLite operations
│   └── schema.sql         # Database schema
└── assets/                 # Icons and images

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11 or higher
• pip (Python package manager)
• Administrative/root privileges (required to manage other applications)

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/LockIN.git
   cd LockIN

2. Create a virtual environment (recommended):

   python -m venv venv
   
   # On Windows:
   venv\Scripts\activate
   
   # On Linux/macOS:
   source venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

Running the Application

On Windows (Run as Administrator):

# Right-click on Command Prompt and select "Run as Administrator"
python main.py

On Linux/macOS (Run with sudo):

sudo python main.py

Note: Administrative privileges are required to manage and close other applications.

Starting a Focus Session

1. Session Setup Screen:

   • Enter a session name (e.g., "Deep Work", "Study Time")
   • Set duration using the hours and minutes picker
   • Select apps to whitelist from the running apps list
   • Click "Add to Whitelist" to allow specific apps
   • Click "Start Session" when ready

2. During Session:

   • The timer counts down your remaining time
   • All non-whitelisted apps are closed and blocked
   • Progress bar shows session completion
   • Stats update in real-time (time elapsed, apps blocked)
   • Emergency Exit button available if needed

3. Session End:

   • View session statistics and completion rate
   • See comparison with previous sessions
   • Start a new session or view overall statistics

Whitelisting Apps

Common apps you might want to whitelist:

• Code editors (VS Code, PyCharm, Sublime Text)
• Browsers (for documentation/research)
• Development tools (Terminal, Git clients)
• Communication apps (Slack, Discord - if needed for work)
• Note-taking apps (Notion, Obsidian, OneNote)

Tip: Start with minimal whitelisted apps for maximum focus!

How It Works

App Blocking System

1. Initial Scan: On session start, scans all running processes
2. Whitelist Check: Identifies whitelisted apps vs. apps to block
3. Immediate Closure: Closes all non-whitelisted applications
4. Continuous Monitoring: Every second, checks for new processes
5. Auto-Block: Automatically terminates any non-whitelisted app that starts
6. Safe Guards: Never blocks critical system processes

Database Schema

• sessions: Stores session metadata, duration, completion status
• blocked_apps: Tracks which apps were blocked during each session
• settings: User preferences and configuration

Safety Features

• Critical system processes are never terminated
• Emergency exit available at any time
• Session data is saved even if app crashes
• Graceful termination of blocked processes

Development

Project Architecture

• UI Layer (ui/): PyQt6 widgets and screens
• Core Logic (core/): Session management, app blocking, statistics
• Data Layer (database/): SQLite database operations

Key Classes

• SessionManager: Orchestrates focus sessions, timing, and state
• AppBlocker: Handles process detection and termination
• DatabaseManager: Manages all database operations
• StatsTracker: Provides analytics and statistics

Adding New Features

1. New UI Screen: Add to ui/main_window.py and connect to stack widget
2. Core Logic: Extend classes in core/ directory
3. Database Changes: Update schema.sql and db_manager.py

Troubleshooting

App won't close other applications

• Solution: Make sure you're running with administrative/root privileges
• On Windows: Right-click and "Run as Administrator"
• On Linux/macOS: Use sudo python main.py

Database errors

• Solution: Delete the database file at ~/.lockin/lockin.db to reset
• Note: This will delete all session history

UI not responding

• Check if session is active (app blocks closing during active sessions)
• Use Emergency Exit to end session first

Apps keep restarting

• Some apps have auto-restart mechanisms
• The blocker will continue blocking them as they restart

Roadmap

Future features planned:

• Statistics dashboard screen with charts
• Customizable motivational quotes
• Scheduled sessions (auto-start at specific times)
• Break reminders and Pomodoro mode
• Website blocking (browser extension)
• macOS and Linux full support
• Portable executable builds
• Cloud sync for statistics

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Disclaimer

This application terminates running processes. Use responsibly and save your work before starting a session. The developers are not responsible for any data loss.

Support

For issues, questions, or suggestions, please open an issue on GitHub.

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Stay focused. Lock in. Level up. 🚀