Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Controlling Distractions

Boy, that Internet is full of distractions, isn't it? You might want to be taking notes or working on a paper, and then the next thing you know you're looking at _______________ [fill in the blank with your most tempting site].

Aaron Kirschenfeld, who is working on his JD and MLIS at the University of North Carolina, offers some tips in this blog post. For instance, he uses Freedom, an app that disables Internet access for a period of time: he sets it for the length of his class. He also has also LeechBlock, a Firefox add-on that can limit time spent at websites you designate.

If you have trouble staying focused on your writing, you might try Write or Die 2, an app that lets you set goals (minutes writing, number of words produced) and then provides "consequences for procrastination and . . . rewards for accomplishment." UCLA's Daily Bruin reviewed Three Apps to Beat Procrastination (including Write or Die) last month.

December 23 is an odd time to offer these tips, since lots of students are away from school and have a chance to goof off a little without guilt. Just save the tips to use when you tackle your New Year's resolutions.

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