As soon as I tear my attention away from the abstract computer world -- getting up to pee, answering the door, running out of battery -- I'm back in my body, looking around at todos, noticing the time. I'm suddenly better equipped to be intentional about what I want to do.

Maybe I don't make perfect decisions every time, but if I were regularly interrupted from the virtual mindspace, and forced to get up and, say, tap my computer to a physical device on the wall downstairs, at least I would have a fighting chance to consider what I actually want to be doing. I could grow that muscle over time.

I've tried lots of apps and life hacks, but they're all too easily overridden by my pleasure-seeking lost-in-the-computer brain.

SO I ASK HN: DOES SOMETHING LIKE THE FOLLOWING EXIST?

I want my computer to effectively lock up after X minutes of usage until I unlock it with a physical device (that I would secure next to the downstairs door)?

It would almost be enough to simply lock my machine for 5 minutes, since that would likely force me to move out of boredom -- BUT sometimes I need to be able to continue without a long interruption (maybe I'm in a meeting!), so a shorter pause is necessary, as though the internet blinked or I had to let the cat out.

Some extra context:

0. I don't mind hacking existing building blocks together, but I'm looking for a reliable solution: something that is as simple and testable as possible to reduce the risk of actually bricking my machine.

1. I need locking to turn on automatically based on a schedule and/or minutes of usage because otherwise I will simply not turn it on.

2. The locking cannot be circumvented except by the physical unlocking device... ideally it's clone, so there's an immediate backup and/or there's an emergency password that I don't know but could "phone a friend" for.

3. Once locked, it has to (a) be possible to unlock and use my computer, but (b) doing so has to "break the computer spell" (as in require looking away from the screen and physically getting up) so I can be intentional about what I do next.

That is, I shouldn't be able to click an "unlock" button with my mouse (too easy). Nor can the unlocking adhere to a rigid schedule, because sometimes I really do need to, say, keep using the computer late at night for work or life stuff (this might be addiction brain talking, but if I can develop an intention muscle instead that would be great).

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas.