Substack’s New Distracting Banner Is Stealing Your Attention — Here's How To Reclaim Your Flow

Medium tried this before. It didn’t end well. So we built a FREE tool to calm your Substack, read and write in flow without quiet quitting

Calm Your Stack

The only constant is change.

Substack just rolled out a new banner on the home feed: Bestsellers, Trending, Up Next.

There’s also a pinned search bar.

The new banner on the right with trending, new bestsellers

And you can’t hide it. It’s always there.

Now, here’s the thing. I love Substack. I am emotionally attached! It’s become a writer-ly home…a place for me as a writer to connect with other writers from around the world and readers, of course, to get discovered, and grow.

But I also see that it’s changing.

And I remember this from Medium. They tried a similar thing: “related” boxes.

Some complained…

• Hey VP of Features, ROLL BACK. Now!

• I’m not paying for membership to get distracted (…)

• It’s usually such a refreshing alternative

But most users tolerated it before they complained. Many writers quietly quit the platform because it broke their flow.

Eventually, Medium sunsetted the feature altogether because it just wasn’t working.

That’s the risk.

Discovery Matters But Not At The Price of Flow

As inspirational speaker, marketing guru and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk said at Advertising Week Europe:

“You cannot be emotionally attached to any distribution channel in marketing.”

Why? Because platforms evolve. Algorithms shift. Features come and go.

The real constant is attention. It’s the true currency of the internet.

And here’s the definition:

to distract means to take someone’s attention away from what they are doing or should be doing.

If you’re a reader with ADHD, or simply someone who values deep focus, distraction is costly. For me, it’s the difference between finishing a s(short) story and clicking away halfway through.

Of course, I want to be discovered…we all do. But not at the cost of what makes Substack so special in the first place: the immersive exchange between the writer and the reader.

That’s why my husband

Patrick God

from

.NET Web Academy

, who’s a full-time software developer, part-time online course instructor, and YouTuber, created Calm Your Stack for ALL community members.

⚡FREE! Read & Write in Flow on Substack

Calm Your Stack gently hides the clutter so you can focus on ideas, craft, and connection.

✅ Hide Up Next, Trending, New Bestsellers
✅ Remove the global search bar (bring it back anytime)
✅ Silence the Suggestions carousel
⚡ Instant toggle via popup
🪶 Lightweight & private

No tracking. No analytics. Just a calmer Substack.

(Please note: This is an early release for YOU. Publishing to the Chrome Web Store takes time.)

And the response so far?

Here’s what early users told us:

• “This is a game-changer for my reading flow.”

• “I didn’t realize how distracted I was until it was gone.”

• “Finally, I can read without the dopamine traps pulling me away.”

Patrick’s simple FREE tool hides the noise so you can stay in the story. Enjoy!

So, Is Substack’s New Feature Good or Bad?

That depends on how you use the platform.

If it doesn’t hurt your flow, wonderful.

If it does, like it does for me, then maybe the Chrome extension Calm Your Stack is a fit.

Because in the attention economy, the most radical act might just be protecting your own attention.

⬇️ Download now and reclaim your flow.

Your Turn

What do you think about the new Substack banner? Helpful for discovery or just another distraction?

With attention,

Kristina & Patrick

P.S. If you’d like to support two indie publishers, subscribe to The Online Writing Club or even join as a paid annual member to get access to ALL the tools.

P.P.S. Share this post so more writers can calm their Substack and their nervous system.

P.P.P.S. THANKS, Patrick, for being such a wonderful husband, dad, life companion, and CTO. Love our first official collab.