The Pi That Saved My Projects

OK, I need to confess something embarrassing: I have absolutely zero self-control when it comes to personal projects.

I’ve spent the last few years in this stupid cycle where I get super excited about some coding project, block out time on my calendar, sit down at my computer, and then… three hours later I’ve watched 17 YouTube videos about people building the exact thing I was supposed to be building. It’s ridiculous. I’ll literally be watching someone code the same project I’m procrastinating on.

The weirdest part? I don’t have this problem at work. During my job, I can focus for hours, ignore distractions, and actually get stuff done. But the second I try to work on something for myself, my brain goes “Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to check Reddit for just a sec?” and suddenly it’s midnight and I’ve accomplished exactly nothing.

I’ve tried everything: website blockers (I just disable them), focus apps (I just ignore them), browser extensions (I just use a different browser), even leaving my phone in another room (I just find other distractions). Nothing worked because the problem was always sitting right in front of me - my gaming PC that’s basically a distraction machine with a keyboard attached.

My Overcomplicated Desk Setup

To understand why this is so annoying, I should explain my desk setup. I’ve got this one decent 27" monitor that I use for pretty much everything. It’s not even anything fancy - I just picked it because it has like 47 different ports on the back.

I juggle between these computers:

1. My Gaming PC: This beast is for both personal stuff and procrastination. It’s got a ridiculous graphics card that I justified buying “for work” but mostly use for games.
2. Work Laptop #1: The corporate-issued brick.
3. Work Laptop #2: Another company laptop.

Everything goes into this monitor. I’ve also got a USB switch for sharing all my peripherals:

• My decent webcam (so I don’t look like a potato on calls)
• Speakers
• That Blue Yeti mic I bought during a Twitch streaming phase that lasted exactly two weeks
• Mouse and keyboard
• A random USB hub that I bought because I thought it would be useful but never actually use

It’s actually pretty slick when it works. I just press a button and everything switches over. But here’s the problem - my gaming PC is always right there, tempting me with its terabytes of games and lightning-fast web browsing.

Why I Can’t Just “Try Harder”

Every productivity article I’ve read is like “just use willpower!” or “install this magical app that blocks distractions!” But here’s the thing - I’ve tried all that. My issue isn’t that I don’t know YouTube is distracting; it’s that the barrier between “I should code” and “I’ll just watch one video” is way too small.

I’d literally sit down and think “OK, I’m going to work on my project for two hours,” and then my brain would go:

“But first let me check if anyone replied to that Stack Overflow question…” “Oh wait, I should probably watch a quick tutorial on that library first…” “I’ll just check YouTube for 5 minutes to see if anyone’s solved this problem…”

And then boom - it’s 11pm, I’ve watched 8 videos about mechanical keyboards, 3 about home automation projects I’ll never build, and somehow ended up in the weird part of YouTube where people restore antique tools.

The worst part? I KNOW I’m doing it while I’m doing it. I’m literally sitting there thinking “I should stop watching this and start coding” while clicking on the next recommended video.

My Ridiculous Hardware Solution

After failing about fifty times to solve this with software, I realized I needed something more extreme. If the problem is that my computer is basically a distraction machine with development tools installed, maybe I need a development machine with no distractions possible?

Enter the humble Raspberry Pi. It’s:

• Just powerful enough to run VS Code and a browser
• Not powerful enough to run any games worth playing
• Cheap enough that I don’t feel guilty about the expense
• Linux-based so I can still do proper development

So I bought a Raspberry Pi 5 (the 16GB model because I’m not a monster), added a 256GB NVMe drive I had lying around from an abandoned PC upgrade, slapped a fan on it because those things get HOT, and loaded up Raspberry Pi OS.

Now here’s the critical part of my plan: I intentionally did NOT connect it to my USB switch for audio. This means my Pi has no speakers. And guess what’s really boring without sound? YouTube videos! This wasn’t an accident - it was a deliberate choice to make my primary distraction pathway so annoying that I wouldn’t bother.

Sure, I could still technically watch videos, but without sound, what’s the point? It’s like my brain’s kryptonite.

Is It Actually Working?

Shockingly… yes? Like, way better than I expected. It’s been about a month, and I’ve made more progress on my side projects than in the previous three months combined. Here’s why I think it’s working:

1. It’s a pain to switch to distraction mode: If I want to goof off now, I have to physically switch inputs on my monitor, switch my USB devices over, and boot up a different machine. That 30-second delay is apparently all my brain needs to go “eh, not worth it.”

2. The Pi is clearly for work only: When I sit down at the Pi, my brain knows exactly what we’re doing. There’s no ambiguity. It’s like how people say you shouldn’t work from bed because your brain gets confused - same principle.

3. No YouTube rabbit holes: Without audio, my primary time-waster is basically useless. I can still look up documentation and read Stack Overflow, but I can’t fall into the “let me just watch one more video” trap.

4. Fewer notifications: My Pi doesn’t have Discord, Slack (personal), or any other apps that might ping me. When I’m working on it, I’m actually… working.

The best part? I don’t feel like I’m fighting myself anymore. Instead of constantly having to resist the urge to open YouTube, the urge doesn’t even come up because my brain knows it won’t be satisfying.

Some Other Weird Benefits

There have been some unexpected perks too:

• Focus: I’m way less likely to have 47 browser tabs open because the Pi will start to struggle.
• Morning routine: Weirdly, I now start my mornings on the Pi instead of my main PC, which means I actually get stuff done before the workday instead of “just checking” social media for an hour.
• Learning: I’ve had to get better at Linux commands and working in a more minimal environment, which has actually been really useful for work too.

Feeling Both Smart and Dumb

Part of me feels clever for finding a solution that actually works for me. But another part feels kind of pathetic that I needed to buy an entire separate computer just to stop myself from watching YouTube. Shouldn’t I be able to just… control myself?

But you know what? I’m trying to be more pragmatic. If it works, it works. I spent years fighting against my own brain and losing. Now I’ve reconfigured my environment so my natural tendencies actually work for me instead of against me.

I probably won’t win any awards for willpower, but I WILL finish some projects. And at the end of the day, that’s what matters.

What’s Next?

This setup has been a game-changer for me. If you’re someone who also struggles with the “I’ll just check YouTube for 5 minutes” syndrome, consider whether a hardware solution might work for you too.

Sometimes the best productivity hack isn’t an app or a technique - it’s just making it physically impossible to distract yourself.