http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-01-11-22-40-04
Regards.....Bill Kratz
Regards.....Bill Kratz
Why I Try Not To Read This Forum Anymore
- Thread starter whkratz
- Start date
Tom Shannon
Registered
LOL
Tom S.
Tom S.
Nice article... but I don't buy it.
"People who procrastinate tend to be less healthy, less wealthy and less happy," Steel said Wednesday. "You can reduce it, but I don't think you can eliminate it."
This may be the case, but I don't think that it's fair to place the blame on TV, the Internet or any other "distraction". The blame lies with the individuals themselves and their inability to exercise a little discipline.
All it took for me to quit wasting hours in front of the tube or surfing the net was the realization that I had blown 3-4 precious hours one Sunday afternoon doing "nothing". Now, I consciously limit my time...
Point is, it's not the Internet's fault - it's the people themselves and societies' willingness to accept the "excuse" mentality.
"People who procrastinate tend to be less healthy, less wealthy and less happy," Steel said Wednesday. "You can reduce it, but I don't think you can eliminate it."
This may be the case, but I don't think that it's fair to place the blame on TV, the Internet or any other "distraction". The blame lies with the individuals themselves and their inability to exercise a little discipline.
All it took for me to quit wasting hours in front of the tube or surfing the net was the realization that I had blown 3-4 precious hours one Sunday afternoon doing "nothing". Now, I consciously limit my time...
Point is, it's not the Internet's fault - it's the people themselves and societies' willingness to accept the "excuse" mentality.
Procastination is a different story
I found that GTD is the opposite of procastination. One of the essence of this system is the question: Which is the next action?
So, here there are persons that work with sense of responsability that mean the capacity also to take a decision.
However in our big and globalized village there are persons specialist to shift to others their duties.
These people are the best in procastinatination and every time you meet them there is always a good point to further take in consideration so it's possible to shift to others.
My feeling is here you can find only people that work!
I found that GTD is the opposite of procastination. One of the essence of this system is the question: Which is the next action?
So, here there are persons that work with sense of responsability that mean the capacity also to take a decision.
However in our big and globalized village there are persons specialist to shift to others their duties.
These people are the best in procastinatination and every time you meet them there is always a good point to further take in consideration so it's possible to shift to others.
My feeling is here you can find only people that work!
I agree with the article and with Bill. The internet (yes, including this forum!) can be a major distraction for me and I'm looking for ways to deal with this.
I think the point is, we are not machines. We are human with human weaknesses. I know that the internet is a distraction that I should try to resist but I find it very hard to discipline myself.
I am actually looking for a program that will block me from viewing certain websites at specific times but not during designated "freetime". As the article says: a click away is just too tempting. But if I have to go through a more elaborate ublocking processes maybe I can cut down.
Anyone know of a program that can do this. I could just unplug the ADSL but I need my email connection.
Tom
jkgrossi;45047 said:
I think the point is, we are not machines. We are human with human weaknesses. I know that the internet is a distraction that I should try to resist but I find it very hard to discipline myself.
I am actually looking for a program that will block me from viewing certain websites at specific times but not during designated "freetime". As the article says: a click away is just too tempting. But if I have to go through a more elaborate ublocking processes maybe I can cut down.
Anyone know of a program that can do this. I could just unplug the ADSL but I need my email connection.
Tom
I've found the "minimize window" function helps a lot. I have a big monitor, which means I have room for lots and lots of potential distractions. If I hide everything but the active window, it's much easier to stay focused. That's especially true if one of the background windows has animated graphics, scrolling banners, or some other eye-catching design.
I could just close unused programs, of course, but that makes them take longer to load when I actually need them. The longer I have to wait, the more likely my attention is to wander.
To actually lock yourself out of certain websites, you might try some of the parent/employer monitoring tools that are out there. If you don't need something that restrictive, another approach might be to have two or more separate bookmark files, split up by the context in which you're "allowed" to visit those sites.
Katherine
I could just close unused programs, of course, but that makes them take longer to load when I actually need them. The longer I have to wait, the more likely my attention is to wander.
To actually lock yourself out of certain websites, you might try some of the parent/employer monitoring tools that are out there. If you don't need something that restrictive, another approach might be to have two or more separate bookmark files, split up by the context in which you're "allowed" to visit those sites.
Katherine
severance1970
Registered
I stopped hanging out in forums on a ritual basis. Now I visit forums when I need a specific question answered, or if I'm consciously looking for a new line of discussion (e.g. not "Should we link projects and actions?"). Entering a forum with the focus "Is there anything new here?" is a far more effective way to avoid ensnarement in circular discussions than any Firefox extension.
Gameboy70;45067 said:
There's something new here on this forum everyday, which is part of the problem - I always have to look...
My problem is compulsive checking to see if there is something new and also idol reading of things that are of limited value.
I actually found the above thread mentioned very interesting - but each to his own!
severance1970
Registered
I meant new in the sense of unique. After two years on the forum, it's become harder to find facts and opinions that haven't been reiterated many times, so as soon as I see a thread with a predictable trajectory, I disengage from it with extreme prejudice, sensing that there are better ways to use the time.
There are certainly exceptions -- I'm here now. I'm just saying that I only need to spend a fraction of the time I used to on the forum due to familiarity with most of what has been covered.
There are certainly exceptions -- I'm here now. I'm just saying that I only need to spend a fraction of the time I used to on the forum due to familiarity with most of what has been covered.
I read the book by Neil Fiore, The Now Habit and didn't get very much out of it. Then I read some of andersons comments on the book and got a lot more out of it.
Lots of books talk about giving yourself a reward for accomplishing stuff. They might say to eat some chocolate, or buy yourself a new pair of shoes. That doesn't work for me. Then, via andersons, I saw that Fiore tells us that any activity that I tend to engage in frequently can be used as a reward.
There are lots of ways to kill time. Using access to davidco.com serves me as a quite useful reward. The trick is to use rewards after engaging in the activity that I want (long-term).
Lots of books talk about giving yourself a reward for accomplishing stuff. They might say to eat some chocolate, or buy yourself a new pair of shoes. That doesn't work for me. Then, via andersons, I saw that Fiore tells us that any activity that I tend to engage in frequently can be used as a reward.
There are lots of ways to kill time. Using access to davidco.com serves me as a quite useful reward. The trick is to use rewards after engaging in the activity that I want (long-term).
Web = reward. Clever
Moises,
What a clever suggestion. Since so much knowledge work gets done at the computer, why not use access to favorite sites as a reward. That way the tool (computer) remains neutral since it is used for both the dreaded task (e.g. email
and rewards (e.g. Connect Forum).
Moises,
What a clever suggestion. Since so much knowledge work gets done at the computer, why not use access to favorite sites as a reward. That way the tool (computer) remains neutral since it is used for both the dreaded task (e.g. email
and rewards (e.g. Connect Forum).tominperu;45066 said:
Good news and bad news.
Good: I think you'll like Firefox... better security, tabbed browsing, and there are some very cool extensions for customizing.
Bad: there are some very cool extensions for customizing... you've just introduced a new diversion for procrastinating :-D
(Also, don't deinstall IE... an occasional site will render better in IE. Alas there is an extension for that called "IEView".)
B
bookimdano
Guest
Thanks for the Firefox add-on.
Here is software I use to limit my internet use:
http://www.blumentals.net/inetprot/
It is very flexible. Use it to limit your surfing by blocking websites, set times during the day that it will let you access the internet or set a timer that will block internet access after you are online for a specified period of time.
I suggest keeping the administrator password in an inconvenient place to avoid the temptation to bypass the software.
Here is software I use to limit my internet use:
http://www.blumentals.net/inetprot/
It is very flexible. Use it to limit your surfing by blocking websites, set times during the day that it will let you access the internet or set a timer that will block internet access after you are online for a specified period of time.
I suggest keeping the administrator password in an inconvenient place to avoid the temptation to bypass the software.
Using the Firefox Add-in
I've been using the Firefox Add-in for the last few days and am really pleased with it. It's interesting to know how much time you spend looking at different websites and I'm using the timelimit restriction to limit my time on certain websites (15 min a day for this one, so I'd better hurry up!).
Already it's told me to "get back to work" 5 times over 2 days, which is just what I needed.
Tom
I've been using the Firefox Add-in for the last few days and am really pleased with it. It's interesting to know how much time you spend looking at different websites and I'm using the timelimit restriction to limit my time on certain websites (15 min a day for this one, so I'd better hurry up!).
Already it's told me to "get back to work" 5 times over 2 days, which is just what I needed.
Tom