Monday, September 5, 2011

Time Management and Fun

I've been gradually working on ways to reduce the amount of time I waste on the internet. It had become kind of a problem. I'd be trying to study for a class, click onto my RSS reader for a break, and an hour would pass before I'd realize it. The same thing happened with Facebook. I'd go on to check when an event was, and then I'd be scrolling through the newsfeed for an hour.

I found a couple of Mozilla Firefox add-ons to help me with the problem. LeechBlock allows me to create time limits for certain sites. I have a 15 minute limit on my RSS reader during the week and only allowed myself to look at Facebook on Sundays. Ad Blocker Plus keeps me from having to look at any ads on any site, it also blocks the commercials on Hulu. But even these add-ons didn't stop me from maximizing my time on the internet.

Last month I quit Facebook which has been a big help. My RSS reader has been culled, and none of my shows are loading new episodes onto Hulu. The result? I have very few ways to procrastinate on line.

I've found myself actually studying when I'm supposed to (or blogging) instead of just randomly Googling or watching funny cat videos.

While I could theoretically be more productive without distractions, I am finding it difficult to even get on the computer. With the distractions gone, studying becomes more of a chore. Maybe I'm so used to being constantly overstimulated and shifting between tasks so often that it will take some time to get used to having focus.

Or maybe I'll start updating this blog a lot more often.