Ask Slashdot: Software To Help Stay On Task?

GiboNZ writes "Like many others, I easily get distracted when working on a computer. Say I work on a task — be it a programming job or bookkeeping or whatever — and need to quickly check something on Google. Unfortunately after a while I often find myself on Slashdot or eBay or reading emails instead of continuing with the job I was doing before. Maybe if I had a 'single-tasking desktop' it wouldn't be such an issue. I couldn't Alt-Tab to my email client with tempting 200 unread emails, Alt-Tab to browser with 10 tabs open for later, Alt-Tab to unfinished document from yesterday, Alt-Tab to ... you know what I mean. I want to be forced by some technical means to work on the problem I should work on. Will alone doesn't work — I tried. Like when mowing a lawn — there I've got nothing else to do and I keep mowing until it's finished. If I could multitask in the same way I can on a computer our little backyard would take me the whole day to do. Any ideas how to inhibit the distractions ever present on modern multi-tasking internet-connected desktops? I genuinely want to be more productive but the technology is against me."

Re:For Gnome/KDE have a look at 'hamster'..

[chipschap]

I second (third, fourth, whatever) the Pomodoro idea. Why? Because there's a built-in reward. You can go do all that goof-off stuff that brings you instant gratification, but you do it for limited, specific times. Building that kind of discipline is easier and more likely to succeed than trying to go cold turkey. 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off; longer breaks after longer periods. Funny how it works. You start to see that you're making progress and you work longer or cut the breaks shorter. Definitely positive feedback in the loop.

Your Head Asplode

[sqrt(2)]

As with many human problems a technical solution isn't always best. The real underlying issue is that our brains are built according to a fundamentally parallel architecture which isn't very well understood. Your consciousness is something like a "software" trick that gives you the illusion of serial operations. You can focus the spotlight of attention on one thing at a time but you're never really doing that, it's just a simulation. Classical computers are the complete opposite--though in modern times we do now have truly parallel CPUs. It's not just technology that's against you, you're working against the nature of your brain.

Your problem is that you are trying to force your brain to function in a way that it is antithetical to its design on a fundamental level. Doing this for too long causes real and measurable fatigue. If you are finding yourself overstressed from the demand of focusing too intensely on a task you should change your workflow. I would suggest breaking up your time into smaller chunks, maybe of 15-20 minutes so that you are not focused on any one thing for too long. Not every task is amenable to this procedure, so there's going to be time when you simply have to endure.

You can also set achievable goals and have some sort of metric for measuring and verifying them. Write down that you'll answer X number of E-mails or spend 15 minutes doing that twice a day. Write down a schedule and tape it to your computer screen.

pomodoro timer

[ckolar]

Well, if you can hold your attention on a single task for a short amount of time then I would try the Pomodoro Technique. I had issues similar to what you describe and this has helped me a great deal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique [wikipedia.org] Briefly: you pick a task, set the timer (the recommended time is 25 minutes), focus on that one thing, and then reward yourself with a five minute break. Reset timer, repeat. It can become game like, challenging yourself to stay on task until you get to the chime, and the 25 minute boundary seems like the right level of challenge versus attainability. Lots of free software/apps out there to help you with it.

Re:Simple Suggestion

[Locke2005]

My experience (my daughter has ADD) has convinced me that ADD is not a lack of ability to focus, but rather a lack of ability to focus on things you're not interested in or see no point to. My daughter can focus for hours on something she wants to do, like sewing, playing video games, or making videos. The problem is our educational system regards the ability to read and comprehend hundreds of pages of material you could care less about as the highest virtue. Unless you later become a game show contestant, most of the stuff you're required to memorize in school is just useless trivia.

Re:Simple Suggestion

[__aaltlg1547]

My experience (my daughter has ADD) has convinced me that ADD is not a lack of ability to focus, but rather a lack of ability to focus on things you're not interested in or see no point to. My daughter can focus for hours on something she wants to do, like sewing, playing video games, or making videos. The problem is our educational system regards the ability to read and comprehend hundreds of pages of material you could care less about as the highest virtue. Unless you later become a game show contestant, most of the stuff you're required to memorize in school is just useless trivia.

That doesn't sound like ADD. That' sounds like, "This is SOOOOOOOOOOO boring!"

If your daughter is able to stay on tasks that are of interest, she may be misdiagnosed. Sewing is a repetitive task. Focusing on that is easily more difficult than paying attention in school and may be a sign that what she has is lack of interest and a mirror of your own attitude toward school. If you regard it as mostly wasted time, it shouldn't surprise you if she expresses disinterest.