But if you have no self-control whatsoever and have to check Twitter to see what your favorite author had for breakfast, keep reading.
It’s no secret I’m squarely in the lacking in discipline camp, and it doesn’t help that free wifi is everywhere.
A few weeks ago, I stumbled onto a website for a productivity software application called Freedom. The words,’… locks you away from the internet on Mac or Windows computers for up to eight hours at a time’ drew me in immediately.I downloaded it, followed the simple instructions and VOILA! – my netbook was transformed into an temporary internet-free zone.
Freedom puts your computer on internet lockdown for a minimum of 15-minutes up to an 8-hour max.
I’ve used it on both my Windows netbook and my Macbook, and it’s the perfect internet jailer. You can download a trial version of Freedom for a test run. The full version is $10.
So how do you resist the web during writing hours?
Thank you, Phyllis! I'm going to give this a try! Umm...just not today. And is there one for the BlackBerry?
ReplyDeleteOn the netbook, I set it for a 45 minute lockout (their default). If I go for longer, I sometimes have to restart to get back on the net.
ReplyDeleteI can set if for longer on the Macbook without any hiccups.
LOL! I could use a version of this program for iPhone.
Nice tool. Though just disabling my wireless connection and unplugging my computer from the internet works fine for me.
ReplyDeleteNo Internet self-control? That's me, all right. No matter what I'm doing, my fingers find the browser button of their own volition, I swear!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like it was made for me. You'd think pulling the jack out would be so simple, but somehow that never occurs to me while I'm actually, yanno, sitting in front of the computer. @@
Well, for the time being, I disable from the web by doing my writing by hand, then transcribing using my Dragon software.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when I do get hooked into a project, I keep my 'net usage to going on long enough to manage my blog, check my e-mail and check Facebook (i spent on the average less than one minute on FB per 'net hook up, which is about three minutes total), which makes overall total about twenty minutes.
I have ::mumble mumble:: machines but two are of interest to my writing. The desktop (email, social media) is always connected to the Internet. But the laptop (writing only), in another room, is 99% NEVER connected. Also, we have no wi-fi anywhere in the house. All together, the system works for me.
ReplyDelete