The web offers a virtually infinite array of ways to waste time when you should be working. Checking Twitter, Email, Facebook, blogs, news sites … you could literally do it all day. Heck, sometimes I do. The thing is, I always regret it later.
When it’s almost time for bed and my queue of deadlines is still stacked up like some hairy 8-foot monster, I find myself wishing I had cared just a little bit less about what Lady GaGa wore on the red carpet or what cool new jQuery plugins people are using this week.
Celine Roque over at Web Worker Daily really got to the heart of the problem with her thoroughly bookmark-worthy post about eliminating compulsive online fiddling. After quitting my favorite distracting sites cold-turkey and finding it totally didn’t work for me, I found this advice sane and reasonable by comparison:
Track Your Time
WWD’s first step is to identify just how much time you’re spending on your distractions, and keep a record of it. I love this, because it’s the web equivalent of figuring out how much you spend on cigarettes every year and using that as motivation to quit smoking. A few minutes here and there doesn’t seem like much to worry about it, but it adds up.
Remove The Distractions
I’ve talked about this in other posts, but using software to block your most distracting websites during work hours can be a good emergency measure for the hopeless web fiddler. Removing distracting apps from your dock and bookmarks, so they’re out of sight and out of mind, is a less extreme measure that I still find effective.
Understand Your Motivation
Probably the most useful general piece of advice in the WWD post. You’ll be more likely to take measures to save time if you know why you’re doing it. Do you want more time with family and friends, or extra time to do freelance projects for some extra money? Focusing on your goals gives you a reason to pause and reconsider before you spend three hours reading Gawker.
Don’t Do It All At Once
Designate a few hours of solid work without fiddling, and try that out before you decide to do it for an entire day. There’s no point in asking too much of yourself at once and giving up out of frustration.
I don’t mean to make web fiddling seem like some kind of horrible addiction— although I can tell you that my own distraction problems might almost reach that level — but it’s one area where most of us could get back a few extra hours a day. With that time, we could be making something really cool instead of refreshing email!
How do you avoid distractions on the web? Sound off in the comments.
Jay is a freelance writer based in Seattle, WA. He writes about software for Download Squad and contributes interviews to Geek Monthly magazine, among others. You can also follow him on Twitter and at his blog.
Photo Credit — ari
