71–80 of 123 posts
The best of this kind of apps I've found is Focus for Mac[1]. It works at the OS level, allows you to block apps and sites, and doesn't get disabled if you restart the computer. A downside is that it's not free. [1] https://heyfocus.com/
the irony of seeing this top on Hacker News is delicious
"Ever had those moments when you just open a new tab of your favorite social media site over and over again?"
Literally how I just ended up finding this link...
Maybe this is the wrong thread for this comment, but I'm wondering if I'm alone in this. Anyone else find they procrastinate for reasons another than a habitual need to check e.g. reddit/HN? I find for myself, it's very rarely that I'm procrastinating without any reason, but instead that I'm actively avoiding whatever it is I think I should be doing for any number of reasons. The list includes: * I don't have a clear…
It allows you to set a pomodoro timer and block websites at the same time.
Maybe this is the wrong thread for this comment, but I'm wondering if I'm alone in this. Anyone else find they procrastinate for reasons another than a habitual need to check e.g. reddit/HN? I find for myself, it's very rarely that I'm procrastinating without any reason, but instead that I'm actively avoiding whatever it is I think I should be doing for any number of reasons. The list includes: * I don't have a clear…
Just start anywhere, maybe with routine/maintenance work. The idea and the clearer understanding will come a while after you started.
I guarantee you'll feel a lot better, knowing that you started.
> * I don't understand how to do whatever it is I should be doing
Same as above, just start without thinking about it. Postpone every critique of your work ("Is this ok?" "Will this be refactored"? "Is this necessary?") for at least 15 minutes and just produce something. If it's spell-checking code-comments, then it's spell-checking code-comments.
> * I'm tired/fried and not able to think clearly
Truth is you don't have to be wide awake to be able to work. It's perfectly possible and ok to work when you are tired or otherwise not feeling on top. Tell that to your immortal soul.
> * There are way too many different things vying for my attention (too many things I should be doing)
I have Bruce Lee's quote on a little paper card on my desk for this: "It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."
And keep in mind: Hating yourself for procrastinating is really a hidden way of procrastinating.
Maybe this is the wrong thread for this comment, but I'm wondering if I'm alone in this. Anyone else find they procrastinate for reasons another than a habitual need to check e.g. reddit/HN? I find for myself, it's very rarely that I'm procrastinating without any reason, but instead that I'm actively avoiding whatever it is I think I should be doing for any number of reasons. The list includes: * I don't have a clear…
I noticed I can visit same websites (twitter, reddit, HN) few times in the span of 5 minutes. And I don't usually even notice that, it's like a habit. To help me break the loop I made this extension. It only has basic functionality right now, and I want to add some form of statistics, and maybe more in depth personalization tools. Apart from that, I also plan to port it at least to Firefox, but may look into Edge and…
I might find it useful if I could block myself from checking those sites more often than x minutes each, rather than blocking them off entirely on a set schedule.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/leechblock/
I really like it, I just haven't come around to configuring it yet...
Maybe this is the wrong thread for this comment, but I'm wondering if I'm alone in this. Anyone else find they procrastinate for reasons another than a habitual need to check e.g. reddit/HN? I find for myself, it's very rarely that I'm procrastinating without any reason, but instead that I'm actively avoiding whatever it is I think I should be doing for any number of reasons. The list includes: * I don't have a clear…
> * I'm tired/fried and not able to think clearly
Keep up with your health - eating well, exercise, and sleep are all things I could do better at myself. Taking some breaks, too, can help - a walk to the coffee shop (I don't even drink coffee!) can clear the mind, or give you a chance to chat with coworkers (if you invite them along). Sometimes they'll bring a fresh perspective to your problem, and sometimes their problems give you a break from your own.
While I hate exercising for the sake of it, I've gotten pretty good at walking to lunch - especially if it's with coworkers.
> * ...
A lot of these seem to fall under a general category of task management. Breaking things down into smaller steps, prioritizing - or just plain picking one specific thing to work on - getting external feedback or prototyping... lots of stuff out there, different things seem to work for different people.
Most recently, I'm thinking of going back to TDD just for the sake of really helping push the "break things down into smaller steps" angle. Failing tests? Pick the one on the top of the list and fix it. No failing tests? Add a test that fails. Indecision paralysis for what test to add? Make even a poor choice if necessary, and refactor later. Perfection is the enemy of good enough.
> Anyone else find they procrastinate for reasons another than a habitual need to check e.g. reddit/HN?
It's usually not even that I want to check reddit/HN, it's that I'm unmotivated to work on whatever I'm procrastinating on. At work, this isn't a problem - I'm motivated to earn my pay, contribute to the team, generally get things done and kick ass. The problem for me is at home.
I've read a ton about motivation for tips and tricks with limited success. Although I have had some luck with the concept of "precommitment" as a form of generating extrinsic motivation - in the form of weekly bets with coworkers, for things we'd plan to do over the weekend. Fail to meet your commitments? Owe your buddy a coffee ;). Bonus points: It really forces me to realize just how bad I am at task duration estimation. Fortunately (?) so are my coworkers.
I've also noticed that, as a means of distraction, for me the internet seems to be particularly insidious. It's an infinite stream of content, where there's always something new. I've had some minor success with playing games instead. More enjoyable, and much more finite - both in the sense that games can be completed, and in the sense that I'll eventually get properly bored, at which point I'll be much more motivated to do something productive.
Genuine question to the people who use these extensions. Do you get some significant result from using it or is it more about good in theory only? My personal experience is more on the lines of yes, good idea but then I'm back to my same old patterns again in 2-3 days. The longest I've used is the dayboard new tab page extn but only to see those 5 to do items on it for months.