What's your actual setup for learning on YouTube without getting sucked into the algorithm?

YouTube has more quality educational content than most universities. The problem is it's wrapped in one of the most sophisticated attention-capture systems ever built.

Here's the setup I've landed on after a lot of trial and error:

1. Download the video first, then disconnect from the internet

I use the YouTube app to download, then turn off the network. No notifications, no autoplay, no distractions. Just the video. Sounds extreme, but it genuinely changes how much you retain.

2. Unhook Chrome Extension (free)

When I do watch online, Unhook removes the homepage feed, Shorts, sidebar recommendations, end screen suggestions, autoplay, and comments. YouTube becomes a search bar + a video player. Nothing more. 1M+ users, 4.9 stars, open source.

3. DuckDuckGo's DuckPlayer for YouTube

If you open YouTube links through DuckDuckGo's browser, DuckPlayer plays the video without ads, without autoplay, and without the recommendation feed. Totally free, no extension needed.

4. Convert the video to text using Google Gemini's Gem feature

This is the most underrated one. I paste the YouTube URL into Gemini and get a clean, structured text version of the video I can highlight, search, and refer back to later. Massive for retention.

Curious what others do. Drop your setup below — always looking to improve this workflow.

What's the one thing that helps you focus when learning on YouTube?