The short answer Decide what “done” means before adding a blocker. Choose a specific deck or review target, restrict only the apps that routinely pull you away, keep essential tools available, and test the rule for one week. If your due queue is already unmanageable, reduce new cards first; a stricter lock will not fix an overloaded study plan.

1. Define “done” before you block anything

“Finish Anki” can mean several different things: clear every due review, complete one priority deck, reach a fixed review count, or study for one protected block. Pick one definition that matches the work you can reasonably complete on an ordinary day.

A useful finish line is specific enough that you can answer yes or no. “Study more” is vague; “complete the due cards in Pharmacology before opening social media” is clear. If a full due queue regularly takes longer than the time you have, use a smaller milestone while you repair the workload.

Start with the study plan The blocker should enforce a decision you already made. It should not decide how much studying is healthy on your behalf.

2. Choose the least restrictive barrier that works

Different distractions need different fixes. In Ward and colleagues’ two experiments, participants assigned to leave their phones in another room performed better on working-memory and fluid-intelligence tasks than participants with phones on the desk. A later preregistered meta-analysis found only a small pooled effect for working memory and no summary effects in the other cognitive domains it examined, so phone removal is not a universal performance guarantee. Separately, a controlled laboratory study found that call and text notifications disrupted a sustained-attention task even when participants did not interact with the phone. These studies did not directly test Anki or grades; they support reducing access and interruptions before focused work begins.

Match the barrier to the interruption you actually have
Barrier Best when Main limitation
Put the phone away The phone’s visibility or easy reach breaks concentration You may need the phone for authentication, transit, or communication
Use iPhone Focus Notifications and incoming messages are the main problem Focus silences selected notifications; it does not stop you opening an app
Use App Limits or Downtime You want a daily time allowance or a protected schedule The rule is based on time, not whether studying is complete
Use review-linked blocking You repeatedly open selected distractions before reaching a study goal A poorly chosen goal can make an overloaded day more frustrating

Apple documents how to configure a Focus and how to set App Limits, Downtime, and Always Allowed apps. Try those built-in tools first if they solve the right problem.

3. Write a study-first rule

Turn the intention into a sentence with a cue, action, boundary, and reward:

After [daily cue], I will complete [review goal] in [deck or decks] before opening [selected distractions], during [chosen hours].

This resembles an implementation intention: a plan that states when, where, and how you will act. A meta-analysis of 94 independent tests found that these specific plans improved goal attainment across varied settings. That evidence is broader than Anki, so treat the template as a planning aid, not a guarantee.

  • Medical student: After breakfast, I will clear today’s due cards in Pharmacology before opening Instagram, from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m.
  • Language learner: After I sit down with coffee, I will complete 40 Japanese reviews before opening YouTube.
  • Exam week: After my first class, I will complete one 25-minute review block in the exam deck before opening entertainment apps.

4. Make the goal sustainable

A fixed count is easy to understand and can work when your daily queue is predictable. A percentage of due cards adjusts to the day’s workload, but 100% may be unrealistic during a backlog. A deck-specific target protects the material that matters most without making every archived or low-priority deck part of the finish line.

New cards create future learning and review work. The Anki Manual’s deck-options guidance recommends reducing new cards when review volume is too high and stopping new cards while catching up on an overdue backlog. Fixing inflow is usually more useful than making the blocker harder to bypass.

Use a bad-day version

Decide in advance what happens after poor sleep, travel, illness, or an unusually large queue. You might protect one 20-minute block, complete only the highest-priority deck, or pause the rule outside your normal study window. The aim is to preserve the cue without turning one difficult day into an all-or-nothing failure.

5. Keep the phone usable

Restrict the smallest useful set of distractions. Keep calls, messages from important contacts, maps, authentication, transit, medical tools, school tools, and the app you use to study available. If an app serves both essential and distracting purposes, consider silencing its notifications or removing it from the Home Screen before blocking it entirely.

Apple’s Always Allowed controls can preserve selected apps and contacts during Downtime. Any third-party blocking setup should also include a deliberate route for urgent access. Test that route before you depend on the system during a class, shift, or trip.

6. Run a seven-day experiment

Do not judge the setup by one motivated morning. Use the same rule for a week, then adjust it using evidence from your own schedule.

A simple log for testing a study-first rule
Record Question to answer
Cue and start time Did the planned cue reliably start the session?
Goal and completion Was the finish line clear and reachable?
Minutes spent Does the rule fit an ordinary weekday?
Bypass or override Was the barrier too weak, or was the plan unrealistic?
Due backlog Is the underlying workload stable, shrinking, or growing?

Change one variable at a time. If notifications still interrupt you, tighten Focus. If you avoid starting, improve the cue. If the queue grows, reduce new cards. If you finish Anki but keep drifting into an app too early, then a review-linked rule may be appropriate.

Where AnkiLock fits

AnkiLock is one way to make access to selected iPhone apps depend on a configured Anki goal instead of a clock. You choose the apps, decks, goal, and blocking schedule; progress comes from the AnkiLock desktop add-on. This is most suitable for students whose normal workflow includes desktop Anki and who specifically want “reviews before selected apps.”

The current workflow does not directly count answers inside AnkiMobile. After a mobile session, Anki’s official workflow is to sync through AnkiWeb; for AnkiLock to see that progress, desktop Anki must then sync before its add-on sends an update. If you mainly study away from a computer, a scheduled Focus or Screen Time rule may fit better.

This pattern is related to—but not proven by—research on “temptation bundling.” In one field experiment, limiting tempting audiobooks to gym visits initially increased exercise, although the effect declined over time. The study concerned exercise, not flashcards or app blocking, so it offers a useful design idea rather than direct evidence for AnkiLock.

See how AnkiLock goals and syncing work if review-linked blocking matches the problem you identified.

Common questions

Should I block every distracting app?

No. Begin with the one or two apps that most often interrupt the review window. A narrow rule is easier to live with and easier to evaluate.

Should “done” mean every due card?

Only if clearing the due queue is realistic in your current schedule. During a backlog, pause new cards and choose a temporary milestone that supports recovery instead of hiding the workload.

What if I need an app urgently?

Keep essential apps unselected and understand the override or emergency-access path before blocking starts. A focus system should never interfere with safety, health, transportation, or required communication.

Sources and further reading

Editorial transparency: AnkiLock used AI-assisted tools to support drafting and editing.