–“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr
Would you tell a smoker that it’s possible to quit while having a pack of cigarettes in the house? Probably not. Nor should you expect to conquer distracting web habits while having access to the Internet.
An application called “Freedom” succeeds where individual self-control fails. This tool disables your Internet connection for 10 to 480 minutes. Once activated, only restarting your entire computer can get you back online. In my experience this has proven to be a sufficient deterrent. As a result, my productivity skyrocketed.
Freedom’s clock ticks only when your computer is awake. If you thought you could get around it by putting your computer into sleep mode for an hour or two, surprise! You’re still faced with 38 minutes of Internet-free time when you stir it to life again. I’ve used this feature to my advantage by setting up Freedom before going to bed. When I wake up, the Internet is unavailable, leaving me free (or condemned) to direct my early-morning focus towards my writing, rather than my email.
How can you get Freedom? It’s available by download for free for Macs. A version for PCs has finally been released, selling for $10 (well worth what you’ll get).
This is also a great piece of software to recommend for students who are distracting themselves from working with email, social networking sites, and web surfing.
Sometimes, though, you need the Internet while researching or writing. For these cases, there is a free add-on for Firefox browsers called “LeechBlock.” With LeechBlock, you create a list of websites that most divert your attention. You can choose to block these sites on a customizable schedule (i.e., Mon-Fri from 8am-10am) or by time limit (i.e., 2 hours).
The web has become an indispensable part of contemporary life and education. But sometimes, you just need some Freedom.
Freedom
http://macfreedom.com
LeechBlock
http://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4476