What about having the other computer that's connected to the internet be physically uncomfortable to use for an extended period of time? Maybe force yourself to stand to use that computer?
PG: Disconnecting Distraction
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Re: PG: Disconnecting Distraction
#22I like the separate computer concept. Is there a way to make that more practical for people who are developing websites on their primary computer? I'd like to be able to get at the websites I own and the core documentation at least. I feel like you could co-opt some of these child-safe browsing tools to only let you on to the sites that were necessary for work. Maybe this could be the next step for rescuetime--only l…
Also what if you use Google to find answers to your coding-related questions? That could take you to any random website.
You could have the work computer get a filtered internet connection through the "internet computer" similar to the way some companies filter the internet.
Re: PG: Disconnecting Distraction
#23This is a matter of self-discipline.
No matter how much you have (or don't have) it's always smart to give yourself some extra help.
2 terminals is a great idea. Kinda like keeping the junk food in the other room. I'm less likely to partake if I have to "change modes" to do so.
"Lead me not into temptation, I'll find it myself."
Re: PG: Disconnecting Distraction
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
Also what if you use Google to find answers to your coding-related questions? That could take you to any random website.
This is an interesting business idea: a search engine that is free of distractions, for coders.
Aren't Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood working on something like that with stackoverflow.com?
I'm not saying there can be only one though.
Re: PG: Disconnecting Distraction
#25That sounds like a really, really good idea. Thank you.
What also works is Freedom (mac only): http://www.ibiblio.org/fred/freedom/
It disables ethernet for a specific period of time. You can only turn it off by rebooting. It's drastic (but I need drastic).
Re: PG: Disconnecting Distraction
#26I guess most of people will get more done if ISP charges minutely rather than monthly.
Re: PG: Disconnecting Distraction
#27I've found that it never works long-term. Your habits just adjust to the new situation. Every year ('cept the last couple, when I've been working) I go on vacation for 2-3 weeks to my parents' summer cottage, where there is no Internet access, no cell reception, not even a touch-tone phone. I find that I'm super productive for about the first 3 days, and then I end up playing a lot of Hearts.
Without the different environment, the effect is even shorter-lived. I had a paper due once in college. Knowing that I wasn't about to do it, I handed my Ethernet cord to a friend and said "Don't let me have this back until tomorrow." And - as ridiculous as the article suggests it is - I sat at my desk doing absolutely nothing all night. Really. I was basically staring off into space the whole time.
The only thing that seems to work for me is to make whatever I'm working on significantly more fun than what I should be doing. So for example, I got a ton done on my startup between 3/15 and 4/10 because I said "Okay, I'll just put off my taxes until after my startup's in better shape." And then my taxes got done with no fuss because I was really burned out from all that coding, and filling out a few tax forms actually seemed more enjoyable than writing another line of code. This is another plus of living with parents: they give you chores, so you can say "Yeah, I'll run to the post office for you, just let me finish this feature."
BTW, I didn't quit watching TV by any conscious act of willpower; I quit because I got addicted to MMORPGs. And then I quit MMORPGs because I got addicted to Starcraft, and then I quit StarCraft because I got addicted to HP fanfiction, then I quit fandom because I got addicted to computer websites. A distraction never seems to go away until you find something to replace it with.
Re: PG: Disconnecting Distraction
#28What worked for me was leeching WiFi from the neighbors. It was a really weak signal, so I had to stand with my laptop pressed against the window. Never been more productive!
Re: PG: Disconnecting Distraction
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why are you blaming external factors instead of yourself or your personality?
Because I'm not a brain in a vat.
Yes, but how will assigning blame help you solve the problem? You have a problem, you know the solution, and you keep maintaining the problem because you perceive this problem as not being your fault, but somehow the fault of external factors.
Most problems exist in isolation of their causes. Let's say you have a flat tire on the highway. Sure, it would be interesting to know how it happened, but that has nothing to do with the problem. The problem is that you are on a highway with a flat tire. The solution is to fix the flat tire. How it happened is not relevant.
Re: PG: Disconnecting Distraction
#30Hey Paul. I love your writing. I specifically wish you'd keep writing about programming and programming languages though.