No Exit: How Hard Blocking Works and How to Close the Last Gap

Most focus apps give you a lock with a key hidden nearby. The block exists, but so does the way around it — a bypass button, a "disable for today" option, an override code you set yourself. These tools feel like protection. What they actually do is move the moment of decision a little further down the road, without changing the outcome.

Hard blocking works on a different principle. It doesn't ask you to be stronger than the urge. It removes the choice entirely, so the question of whether to give in never actually comes up.

Why removing the choice matters

The research on self-control is consistent on one point: the people who appear to have the most willpower are not the ones who successfully resist temptation most often. They're the ones who encounter temptation least often. They structure their environment so the choice doesn't have to be made.

When a blocked app is genuinely inaccessible, you don't spend cognitive energy resisting it. You notice the urge — briefly, probably — and move on, because there's nothing to act on. Over a full work session, that difference accumulates. The cognitive load of repeated resistance drains attention and degrades the quality of the work itself. A real block eliminates that drain entirely.

This is why the presence of a bypass option matters even when you don't use it. The moment you know the block can be overridden, some part of your attention stays with the possibility. A block that can't be overridden doesn't compete for attention. It simply isn't there.

What EvoCat's enforcement actually means

When a session is running with IronCat selected, blocked apps are inaccessible. There is no bypass screen, no challenge to complete, no button to tap. The only session control that ends blocking early is "Give up today" — which records the day as a failure and is visible in your streak history. That consequence is real and visible.

Two additional layers reinforce this. First, EvoCat cannot be deleted while an active session is running. You can't simply remove the app to end the block — the session holds. Second, when you set up EvoCat, it requests Screen Time permissions that are difficult to revoke without ending the session explicitly. The protections aren't cosmetic. They're structural.

The goal of all of this is the same: to make the decision durable. You made a commitment when you set the schedule. Every layer of enforcement exists to ensure that decision holds through the moments when you'd otherwise undo it.

The one gap that remains

There is a gap worth knowing about, and being honest about it is more useful than pretending it doesn't exist.

On iPhone, iOS Screen Time — the system EvoCat uses to enforce blocks — can be turned off directly in Settings. A determined user who goes to Settings → Screen Time → Turn Off Screen Time can disable the entire system. When Screen Time is off, EvoCat's blocks don't hold. This isn't a flaw in EvoCat specifically; it's a fundamental constraint of how iOS works. Any app using Screen Time faces the same limit.

For most people, most of the time, this isn't a practical problem. Getting through a focus session doesn't require a perfect system — it requires a system that's difficult enough to bypass that the urge passes before you've cleared all the hurdles. The friction of navigating through Settings is usually sufficient.

But if you want to close this gap completely, you can.

Using iOS Shortcuts to protect Settings access

iOS includes a built-in automation tool that can redirect you away from Settings the moment you open it. Setting this up takes about two minutes and runs silently in the background. Here's how:

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Automation tab at the bottom.
3. Tap the + button in the top right corner.
4. Scroll down and select App as the trigger type.
5. Tap Choose and select the Settings app. Make sure Is Opened is selected.
6. Tap Next, then tap Add Action.
7. Search for Open App and add it. Choose the app you want it to redirect to — your home screen launcher, EvoCat, or any app that makes sense for you.
8. Tap Next, then turn off Ask Before Running. This is important — without this step, the automation will ask for confirmation, which defeats the purpose.
9. Tap Done.

Once this is set up, opening Settings on your phone will immediately trigger a redirect to the app you chose. The redirection is fast enough that you don't get a chance to navigate anywhere within Settings before it closes.

Set this automation up on a calm evening, not during a session. The point is to make a decision once, in advance, that holds through the moments when you're reaching for your phone without thinking.

The automation can be disabled if you genuinely need Settings access — for example, to connect to a new Wi-Fi network or check an update. When your session is over and you want to use Settings normally, go to the Shortcuts app and toggle the automation off. Then turn it back on when the next session starts.

Some people choose to keep the automation running at all times during their working hours and disable it only in their off-session hours. Others set it only during their most important focus blocks. The right approach depends on how much structure you want — and how honestly you assess your own patterns.

Why friction is enough — most of the time

It's worth being clear about what this setup actually does. It doesn't make bypassing impossible. A sufficiently determined person can disable the automation, turn off Screen Time, and access whatever they want. The point is not to create an inescapable system.

The point is to make the path of least resistance go in the right direction.

Most distraction is reflexive, not deliberate. The hand reaches for the phone before the conscious mind has formed a plan. What stops the cycle isn't a wall — it's enough friction that the automatic behavior runs out of momentum before it gets anywhere. An app that's blocked, a Settings redirect that kicks you back, a streak that would record a failure: these aren't impassable barriers. They're speed bumps on an impulse that would otherwise take seconds.

The best setup is the one that closes every exit you'd actually use. For most people, EvoCat's built-in enforcement handles everything. For people who know themselves well enough to recognize that Settings is a real risk for them, the Shortcuts automation closes it. Set it up once, during a clear-headed moment, and let it run.