[jansenv]

This is an interesting concept, but it still requires self control. I could browse all day if I wanted but I WANT to get more work done, but I cant help it. But when I get into that state of flow it seems like nothing can tear me away from my work.

I'll try this.

[Jemmeh]

You can use something like StayFocusd to force yourself off it. It won't allow you to reach the distracting websites no matter what you do. Forced boredom.

Though personally I've found if I just log out of facebook and my personal email, that helps. I can't open a tab and have rewards in less than 2 seconds. The extra few seconds to type in a password slows me down enough to just close the tab again and get back to work.

[secfirstmd]

Yep couldn't agree more. It's actually embarrasing how many times I end up seeing the Focus App blocking screen during a very distracted day.

[splintercell]

> This is an interesting concept, but it still requires self control. I could browse all day if I wanted but I WANT to get more work done, but I cant help it.

It doesn't require that much self-control as you may think. The important part is to control that 'first' desire of looking at your phone or opening up distracting sites.

What I found is that if I can curb that first desire to get distracted, then the rest of everything is super easy. But if I can't curb that first desire (which usually happens on Mondays), then I have to write that day off to non-productivity.

I started this project last November, and coincided with shutting down Facebook notifications (which helped me a lot). Two weeks ago I uninstalled Facebook mobile app and now I only check facebook by logging into the web version.

[et-al]

> The important part is to control that 'first' desire of looking at your phone or opening up distracting sites.

Yeah, this is always key. If you don't get that initial dopamine hit from the first potato chip, or that first cigarette, it's a lot easier to ignore the urge.

[jaybowles]

I agree. Self-control is terribly unreliable.

I have tried this 100 times and it eventually falls apart.

You have to make structural changes in your social media consumption.

Facebook and Twitter are the big killers for me. There'll be others for everyone else but the principles remain—delete everyone you can; block the rest.

The best way I've found to do this is to unfollow like crazy.

The best tips I've found so far:

- Only follow friends and family on Facebook—unfollow literally everybody else - Unfollow 50% of people on Twitter. If there are friends you don't want to offend, mute their tweets.

I still find that I go to Facebook and Twitter regularly, but I stay there for radically less time.

Twitter was difficult because I had this underlying assumption which told me it was useful for work. It isn't. You won't miss it. Trust yourself to find important information when you actually need it.