Ask HN: How do you stop reading the internet when you need to work?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=355478

by Prrometheus • 18 years ago

33 56 18 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I'm a big fan of the LeechBlock plug-in for Firefox; it takes care of the worst time sinks (for me, social news sites). However, my mind seems to be very creative at destroying my productivity.

What can I do to get to work?

run4yourlives• 18 years ago

I try to look at my rescue time dashboard everyday before I log off.

The thought of seeing "fun" being in my top 2 or 3 has so far given me enough of a guilt trip that I keep working.

ErrantX3• 18 years ago

Heh that is a neat looking app/site! Never come across it before so thx.

(amusingly googling for "rescue time dashboard" pops up with this page as the top link :D)

boris3• 18 years ago

Work on something more interesting than reading the net.

Prrometheus2• 18 years ago

I like what I am working on, but it is hard and has a long-term payoff. The internet is easy and gives my brain a little dopamine jolt right now.

boris3• 18 years ago

You seem to enjoy the prospect of the payoff but the journey is hard. You need to enjoy the journey in order not to get distracted.

wheels• 18 years ago

Pull the plug on the internet altogether when you catch yourself being distracted. After about 15 minutes once you're into the problem it doesn't matter too much if you reconnect it.

sgk284• 18 years ago

The internet is great at distracting, and for me I can't necessarily disconnect because I rely on the internet for certain aspects of what I do. I find that unplugging the laptop and going to a remote location (maybe a Starbucks or something?) is really helpful, leave the power cord behind. You still have the net, but you've got a 3 hour countdown until your laptop dies... suddenly minutes count and there is no time to get lost in rss feeds.

When/If the laptop dies... I can always head back and plug it in, but at least I'd given myself a dedicated block of time on the problem.

Hexstream• 18 years ago

Try to tackle one problem at a time, that problem being the one that seems the most fun to you at that particular time.

endlessvoid94• 18 years ago

Hard to do if you're student....

teej• 18 years ago

I've been looking for something as well. I didn't know about LeechBlock previously, thanks for the recommendation.

gertburger• 18 years ago

A simple plugin is not gonna stop me. I tend to just live with the fact that I'm going to get distracted. I have a tendency to get lost in work once I get going, but that doesn't happen often ;->

bootload• 18 years ago

"... How do you stop reading the internet when you need to work? ..."

Hard problem this one.

Some times you need to search the web for information. Other times you really need to turn access off to get work done. One suggestion would be to pre-search all you need to search for. But this is clumsy and sometimes unforeseen comes along. Then when it comes time to work, try working on a machine not connected to the Internet.

But this practice doesn't scale. Is anyone working on an idea that lets an algorythm to work this out for lots of individuals?

ggruschow• 18 years ago

I start my time wasting on a few sites (e.g. this one), so I just blocked them from my work computer (hosts[1] file -> 127.0.0.1). If I really have to, I can go in and remove the mapping. It's enough of a hassle that I don't though. It's worked so well that I ended up blocking sites that get me upset also (intranet).. that kills my productivity in a different way.

Also, as much as I thought I benefit from the internet while doing a lot of my work, I now really question it. In the past few years, when stuck on a problem, I'd just google it. Now, I think that's probably counterproductive in the long-run. It gets you out of what you were doing, and you don't learn as much or as deeply as working on the problem yourself.

Lately, I've been trying to figure out how to best deal with IM. I do need to have it up so people that are too far away to get to me can ask questions, but I like talking to people more than I like my work right now. (I'm dealing with that also)

[1] /etc/hosts on unix, %windir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts on windows

ars• 18 years ago

Try http://8aweek.com/ it's designed for doing that (keeping track of wasted time while browsing and blocking after a while) - but I have to admit I disabled it.

I was also a little concerned about the privacy implications of sending them everything I do, and if you disable that (which you can), many things don't function as well.

Edit: WAIT!

What?? What happened to 8aweek!? Now it's socialbrowse, which so far as I can tell is designed to do exactly the opposite of what 8aweek was going to do (i.e. save your time - now they want to waste it).

Edit2:

8aweek was a ycombinator startup! What happened?

ErrantX3• 18 years ago

That's quite ironic/amusing :D

I remember 8aweek - and I did the same thing (turned it off).

At the end of the day it is too easy to click "sod off let me in anyway" (which is what I do to the anti-procrast feature here :D).

thorax• 18 years ago

I also loved 8aweek and was sad to see it go away. :(

Now I use LeechBlock which is good (and has some good features) but doesn't feel as smooth: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4476

arien• 18 years ago

It's really hard at times (I suffer the same thing), but the only thing you have to save yourself is your own will, so you have to learn to strengthen it somehow.

Divide your day in small periods of time and set working goals for each of these. Let's say take 45 minutes to focus on work and finish some task. And then take 15 minutes to read feeds or social websites. And then back to focus on work. And so on.

The smaller the goal the easier it is to achieve it and the less boring it seems compared to these juicy websites waiting for you.

I recommend you read this on your first 15 min. break, it will help you to understand this method. It's a GTD thing: http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/how-to-accomplish-...

I wrote that equation in a paper and have it right next to my screen at all times. That way I don't have the temptation to forget about it :)

Good luck!

robhu• 18 years ago

There's a way to stop?

ErrantX3• 18 years ago

Argh! This question is distracting me from my work.. see what you have done :D

I agree with the others: find ways to enjoy what you do hr by hr.

Part of my day job involves analysing up to 1,000,000 images at a time and categorising them (that many images takes around 3hrs with our software). That gets VERY boring: what I do is set myself targbets - so I say "at 40,000 I will read my mail". Only when I get there I say - oh just another 5,0000. I developed a very usfel OCD-like thing of not beign able to stop until the "done" number reaches a precisely round number (which nevert happens :D) like 10,000 etc. :)

Try something similar: set short targets after which you will break - but then extend them. Set targets and what time you hope to reach them by; but make sure you will easily make it in the time you set. Then say "oh well in the time I have left I could do... xyz".

Keep setting tiny targets till you can't face it anymore and then lose yourself in the net for a bit :) (until you realise you should be back at work).

I have found that forcing work in this way for 2hrs then breakign for 20mins gets a lot more work done :D

csl• 18 years ago

I have a simple rule for myself that works quite well:

Every day, I have to do at least one productive thing before I can leave work.

Usually I read email, programming stuff and news in the morning, then catch myself wasting time and then get to work. When I first get started, time usually passes by extremely fast (depending on my current assignment).

marvin• 18 years ago

When I need to do work, I close the browser.

nihilocrat• 18 years ago

That's, uh... a little difficult to do in web development/design.

rdrimmie• 18 years ago

One solution for this is two use different browsers for entertainment and work (similar to an earlier comment about using different computers for the division). I use Safari for slacking off and FireFox for development.

When I need to buckle down, I close Safari.

bOR_• 18 years ago

Partially managed to fix the 'read the mail, websites' urge by replacing it with a distraction that is still useful to my work 'scan the titles / abstracts of new HIV publications'. I just need a distraction occasionally, and that one works just as fine as reddit.

Find yourself a useful dstraction :)

jd2• 18 years ago

A few things work well for me:

1. 10% rule. Whenever you're doing something and feel like taking a break do 10%-20% more. Usually you go over the bump. After fixing a couple of bugs and you want to take a break - fix one more. Just read 50 pages? Read 10 pages more before you take a break. And so on. It gets easier once you're used to it. Concentration is something you have to work on, especially when you don't really like what you're doing.

2. Music helps me get started on work, but I usually do my best work in complete silence.

3. I get distracted more easily when tired.

4. Create deadlines. If you're a deadline-junkie you may do your best work by skipping sleep the night before the deadline and working for 16 hours straight. You can't slack for more than a few minutes when you know time is running out.

5. Realize that you don't really want to read social news sites, that's it mostly a waste of time. Think of the things you'd rather do, and then do that instead as "reward" for doing something productive.

coderrr• 18 years ago

The question I'd like to know the answer to is...

How much would you be willing to pay for a solution to this?

astine• 18 years ago

For an easy and effective solution, quite a bit.

narag• 18 years ago

At my day job, I can't, here I am. At home I have two computers, an unconnected desktop where I program and a laptop that has net access. I try to keep the laptop shut as long as I can.

Also I've developed a mental filter, an attitude of "did I really want to read this?" comparing the feeling before and after reading the article. Now I see the headline and try to figure which will be my reaction after I see the article. Most of the times, the conclusion is that I'm really not interested.

JoelSutherland• 18 years ago

It is really a 2 step process.

1. Stop reading the internet.

2. Get to work.

If you can't do that maybe you find the internet more interesting than work. If that is the case, consider making a change so that reading the internet becomes your work. No sense spending your life fighting yourself.

cstejerean• 18 years ago

I found that getting work done on the train or other places without internet conneciton does wonders to my productivity. Only works well though when I'm really familiar with what I'm working on and don't need to research things, and when I have whatever documentation I need installed locally.

FraaJad• 18 years ago

The solution that has worked for me:

1. If possible, use two computers. One for work. One for fun. I do all my work on my macbook and browsing etc on my ThinkPad.

2. Use OpenDNS to block all the news sites. You can add reddit, HN and all the other news sites to the blocked sites list. Most often than not, I used to land up on reddit/HN by "accident". That is, my fingers would go Cmd-L -> redd -> return.. even befor I realised it. Having a blocker works. Sometimes, I consciously want to browse HN/reddit, but OpenDNS takes 3 minutes before the block is lifted. By that time the urge would have passed. Or, as I do now, I get up and move to the "fun" PC .

Why am I on HN now? I unblocked all the sites on election day to read the news from the fire-hose :p . Sine I don't own a TV, internet is the only news source....

aaronblohowiak2• 18 years ago

if you are just blocking, your hosts file is an easier solution (though it doesnt have the 3 minute timeout)

michael_nielsen• 18 years ago

I use stickk.com. I decide a time period over which I'm not going to use the net (typically, between starting work and 4pm, for an entire week); I then pay out $20 to an anti-charity of my choice if I fail. Works a charm.

coliveira• 18 years ago

This is a really difficult problem, specially for developers. A solution I use is: a) decide the times you want to access the web. In my case is early in the morning, and after lunch. b) If this is difficult to stick to, maintain a timer of how much time you spent away from the web. Try to maximize this quantity as your secret personal task during the day. This works really well for me.

DaniFong• 18 years ago

Usually I save chunks of the problem I can solve without a computer. I go on a long walk to figure them out. when I come back I want to write up what I've thought, and get it implemented. This gets me started, which is the hardest part.

sown• 18 years ago

Don't. Alt-tab or ctrl-alt-arrow around windows on a ssh session to a terminal somewhere running lynx, links or elinks. I always run screen and sometimes will lock it if I really need to but for the most part the best way to banish temptation is to give into it.

msluyter• 18 years ago

I sometimes use Temptation Blocker (http://sourceforge.net/projects/temptblocker/). It prevents access to certain applications for a specified period of time. I'll block Firefox -- where all my typical news/blog sites are bookmarked -- but leave IE unblocked in case I really need to google something (some sql syntax, for example) work related. I could of course cheat and surf using IE, but that generally causes enough cognitive dissonance that I'm able to resist the temptation.

sovande• 18 years ago

http://seoblackhat.com/2007/01/29/do-it-fucking-now/

lallysingh• 18 years ago

Shrink the web browser window. It really helps.

imp• 18 years ago

Stand up and get a drink of water. Walk away for a minute and you'll realize how much time you're wasting and get back to work.

sethm• 18 years ago

1) (I guess this only works if you're a programmer) Don't completely finish your last task of the night, leave a comment with TODO-110608 (that would be the date of tomorrow) where you need to polish. Gives you an easy entry point to your work. 2) Schedule your wasted time. I have three 20 min blocks dedicated to internet waste per day. No more. (I just spent 3 min on this)

Shamiq• 18 years ago

Brew a strong cup of coffee. Drink it while being away from your desk. Return to your work as soon as you finish enjoying it.

Creating a pre-work ritual is amazingly useful in getting into the correct mindset.

there• 18 years ago

use virtual desktops (or spaces or whatever it's called on mac os). put your web browser in one workspace, your e-mail/im client in another, and your coding environment in another. work in only the coding workspace with no other apps showing. if you're working on a web app, open a new browser window, hide your bookmarks bar, and drag it to your coding workspace.

use things like growl notifications to alert you of instant messages and new e-mails. that way you can remain in your coding window and quickly glance at what that little chime was just for. if it's an important message, switch and take care of it (or don't). if not, ignore it. this way you aren't forced to switch workspaces and interrupt your work every time something comes in that you hope might be more fun than your current problem at hand.

randomwalker• 18 years ago

Most of my reading is in google reader. Part of my work involves following a number of blogs and news sources, which are rolled together with the feeds I follow for fun. So even when I'm wasting time on the Internet, 50% of my time is productive.

Of course, there are times when you just have to get shit done. When I'm sufficiently motivated about my code, my brain automatically shuts everything else out. I don't force myself, I just wait until motivation/inspiration hits. Sometimes takes a day or two, but it's worth it, because then I'll have (say) a week-long burst of creative output that I couldn't have gotten any other way.

iloveyouocean• 18 years ago

I consciously quit being such a 'victim', own my actions, set my intention, and work.

Stop embracing weakness. Empower yourself.

markessien• 18 years ago

I have a potential solution. Send me an email at markessien at gmail dot com if you'd like to help me test it.

lst• 18 years ago

Simply train yourself to abstain from something.

It can be very simple and small things, the only important point is to make it a habit.

There is no better way (all other things suggested can help, but if you are not able to do the above, nothing will save you...).

Ask HN: How do you stop reading the internet when you need to work?

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