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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Physically pulling out the network cable from the router (presuming you're at home/in a place where you can) is also a beneficial psychological push to get on with your work.
I do this and have found myself opening Firefox/Outlook/Newsgroup/RSS readers only to find a flat "no connection" page - that immediately scolds me for sidetracking and I get on with what I'm supposed to eb doing again.
Most laptops feature a button to turn off the wireless connection. I find hitting that button has a similar effect, you've just got to restrain yourself from hitting the button again.
My work is writing, so I find it extremely convenient to have internet access as it helps with checking if I've got the meaning correct for words I rarely use in common conversation. It also helps greatly with research, however there comes a time when I have to turn my wireless off and actually use what I've research, etc.
It's OK to expect little payoffs constantly. Split up tasks in small chunks and tick them off as you complete them. Large tasks seem daunting. Small tasks are just that "tasks". Stuff you do without really worrying about it.
Using a TODO lists when you already know roughly what you have to do can help enormously. The mundane act of ticking off a box next to a small task is enough motivation to get started on the next task.
Especially in the morning it can be tempting to "catch up" with all the HN posts, but if you go through your TODO list and see that you have to "fix link on page X" it's really easy to just do it. Only takes a minute. You know what you have to do, and it doesn't "feel" like work. And when you've started the next task automatically follows.
You can even put off simple tasks so you can do them whenever you're not feeling motivated, just to help you get started.
I think that this aspect is actually the unsung hero of TDD.. it provides immediate consistent salient feedback delivered frequently, which is pretty much textbook key to accommodating ADHD.
I try to do things that I enjoy. Something that I would do (or would like to do) even if it didn't have any monetary payoff. If you can find a project that you would do, rather than read the net, and it happens to pay the bills then here is your journey.
This is, of course, quite a bit simplified. In any non-trivial venture there will be a significant number of things that need to be done and that you don't particularly enjoy doing. But if the greater part is fun then it is easier to sometimes buckle down and get through the mundane parts.
I guess it also largely depends on the personality. I, for example, hate having to do something quickly, without fully understanding the area, and moving on. On the other hand, if I have a chance to spend time and get exhaustive knowledge about something then I genuinely enjoy working on it even if on the outset it seemed unattractive (think sales, marketing, writing, etc., vs hacking some interesting piece of software).
I recommend a book by George Leonard called "Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment". It talks about this topic... very fascinating and useful read (also quite short)
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....
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 ;->
"... 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?
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
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.
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.
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)
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.