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Show HN: I made a Chrome extension that helps battle impulsive procrastination

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Re: Show HN: I made a Chrome extension that helps battle impulsive procrastination

#91

Post by vanderreeah »

acomar wrote: post #19

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…

A couple of points that don't seem to have been mentioned (hopefully because you're all better-adjusted than I am):

1) Fear: I am scared of mess, of failure, of feeling incompetent or overwhelmed. I will therefore avoid tackling a task because that way I avoid the feelings of inadequacy, disappointment, or failure in the face of an incomplete result. In other words, I want everything to be perfect right away, and since that can never be the case, things don't get done.

2) I believe there is simply something (which I am in no position to specify) addictive in internet-based fora. Whether it's the bite-sized demands on our attention, a voyeuristic synapse being tickled by viewing the opinions, arguments, etc. of others, or the illusion of connectedness - both of things to each other and of us to the world - the internet in itself (for me at least) encourages procrastination.

Re: Show HN: I made a Chrome extension that helps battle impulsive procrastination

#92

Post by didsomeonesay »

redpanda_ua wrote: post #2

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…

Looking forward to the Firefox version!

I have used LeechBlock before, but this looks better adapted to my needs (break the loop, as you described it).

Another simple thing that helped me, is to clear those distraction pages out of browser history to stop autocomplete, so e.g. this no longer works: n to go to HN

I have to think a little bit more typing out the whole address and that already helps (and when I do I am at least conciously having a break and not just reflexively...).

Re: Show HN: I made a Chrome extension that helps battle impulsive procrastination

#93

Post by redpanda_ua »

learned wrote: post #3
redpanda_ua wrote: post #2

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 really like the simplicity of this. I find myself doing the same thing sometimes, e.g. opening HN almost unconsciously and then closing the tab immediately. Who knows, this might help break the habit! Edit: (A simple suggestion that comes down to personal taste) It would be cool if I could see if I have DistractOff set to 'Stop' by just looking at the icon (in a similar fashion to how adblock shows the status via i…

Thanks for the feedback. Great idea, wrote it down.

Re: Show HN: I made a Chrome extension that helps battle impulsive procrastination

#94

Post by namaemuta »

dalai wrote: post #90
acomar wrote: post #19

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…

My #1 reason is that I don't have enough to do. I've complained about it so often to colleagues and supervisor it has become a running joke, but nothing changed. Previous job was even worse. I've been doing 2-3 weeks of work, followed by 1-2 months (if not more) of just sitting there, even when I have 2 or 3 projects in parallel. Somehow everyone else seems to be busy all the time.

If your job is done and they don't assign you new tasks there are a few things you could consider:

- Find something to improve

- Work in side projects of your own

- Find new stuff to learn / practice

Re: Show HN: I made a Chrome extension that helps battle impulsive procrastination

#95

Post by kubami »

delecti wrote: post #26
redpanda_ua wrote: post #2

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 noticed I can visit same websites (twitter, reddit, HN) few times in the span of 5 minutes And then there are those times when you load a website, see that there's nothing new/interesting on the front page, close that tab, open a new tab, and then reopen the same site. That always lets me know that I'm really far down the rabbit hole of procrastination.

I have been using StayFocusd [0]

It has a time limit. And various other settings to stop you from, for example, disabling the extension.

[0] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankej...

Re: Show HN: I made a Chrome extension that helps battle impulsive procrastination

#96

Post by amelius »

acomar wrote: post #19

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…

Another reason could be you're waiting for that compile to finish, that simulation to complete, or that neural net to be trained, so you start slacking, and you forget to get back to work when that compute job is finished.

Re: Show HN: I made a Chrome extension that helps battle impulsive procrastination

#97

Post by redpanda_ua »

tkazec wrote: post #46
redpanda_ua wrote: post #2

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…

FYI Opera and related browsers may "just work".

Ah yes, they all use same engine as Chrome, yes? Thanks for the heads up!

Re: Show HN: I made a Chrome extension that helps battle impulsive procrastination

#99

Post by dalai »

namaemuta wrote: post #94
dalai wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My #1 reason is that I don't have enough to do. I've complained about it so often to colleagues and supervisor it has become a running joke, but nothing changed. Previous job was even worse. I've been doing 2-3 weeks of work, followed by 1-2 months (if not more) of just sitting there, even when I have 2 or 3 projects in parallel. Somehow everyone else seems to be busy all the time.

If your job is done and they don't assign you new tasks there are a few things you could consider: - Find something to improve - Work in side projects of your own - Find new stuff to learn / practice

I know, but somehow the motivation is not there, especially with side projects. I started a couple that aimed at improving our internal stuff, but they are sitting there. Everybody is positive until it is time to deploy/use something new. I did manage to read quite a bit and try new things the last couple of years though.

In the end, it is always lack of motivation I guess.

Re: Show HN: I made a Chrome extension that helps battle impulsive procrastination

#100

Post by criddell »

ivm wrote: post #67
criddell wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What type of meditation works well for you? Have you tried Calm or Headspace? Any opinions on that type of guidance?

Headspace is a classic Samadhi+Vipassana meditation wrapped into casual language. I used it a bit for a couple of years and it's a great intro into the practice before going guideless. I also highly recommend "Mindfulness in plain English"[0], I wish I found it sooner. [0]: https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-English-Bhante-Henepola-G...

Thanks for the link. That's exactly what I was hoping for.

Maybe if my mind was quieter, Amazon pricing the Kindle version higher than the print version wouldn't enragiate me so much. :)

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