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You know what hampers my productivity is the fact that doing anything website related requires a working internet connection. Having that connection can be so damn distracting with my feed reader perched in the toolbar taunting me “there is something to read, there is something to read!”

I know exactly how you feel. It’s as though I don’t know what to do with myself if I’m not behind a computer sometimes. Come summer, I’m forcing myself to get some new hobbies or revisit old ones.

I would have to agree that if I didn’t need an internet connection to get work done, I could probably shut out everything else and crack down on a single project and have it done in a night rather than dragging it out for a whole week.

It’s eerie how close your description matches the struggle I go through on a daily basis!

What confounds it for me is the fact that I never get 12 hours in front of the computer; I’m lucky for a measly 3-4 continuous hours, which further makes it difficult to focus and get things done. It’s hard to even get started when I know that I’ll be interrupted just when things are getting good.

I also have numerous creative endeavors, on and off the computer, that are all vying for my attention.

Have you happened to devise and solutions?!

I have no definitive solutions. Essentially, when I have to do something, I just “do the thing” (to quote Will Farrell).

I also turn everything interent-related off. No e-mail, no RSS, no IM, nothing. I just turn on a Bill Laswell album and push through until it gets done with as little to distract me as possible. Sometimes complete disconnection is the only way to be productive.

My wife says I need to find something to do away from the computer. She suggested a garden. Not a bad idea.

reading this post was like looking at the thoughts inside my head. it might be small consolation that i am not a lone but i’ll take it.

the only way i can guarantee some focus is finding a coffee shop with NO internet connection and rely on my internal network thanks to os x, mysql and camino.

You know that is a good question. I really would love to know. I have so much to do in a day. I work 10 hours a day and then I come home and work another 3-5 hours. I’m not sure where I have time to sleep.

I knew I wasn’t alone. ;)

Funny, reading this and writing this comment something in the back of my head tells me “come on get to work and stop being distracted by interesting articles!” :)

I get that all the time. Like right now. Man I need to get to work.

Everything you have described is the punchline of the massive joke which is computers and technology.

When modern computers were becoming more common place in society everyone thought what a great labour saving device they would be, so why do we still work 10-15 hours a day not 5 hours instead?

In his book ‘Don’t make me think’, Steve Krug likens the experience of moving through web pages to flying. We are in a sense moving vast distances effortlessly, and without the usual sensations and constraints that accompany our movement through real 3D space. So I think that makes it kind of addictive and maybe physiologically a bit unbalancing. I think Kevin’s garden idea is probably a good one. If only we could come up with an online way to ‘rebalance’. Something along the lines of the Nintendo Wii where you actually have to move your whole body to get a task done.

Charlie knows of what he speaks…

It goes back to the age-old practice of trying to create an external structure, thinking it’ll give us discipline.

The only way we’re going to get back to a 5-hour workday is if we find the ability to stay focused within ourselves, and learn to say “enough is enough; I’m enriched enough for now!”

Okay, now, back to work for me, too! :)