Productivity Tip #2: Remove icons from Quicklaunch bar.
You know the Quicklaunch bar next to your start menu on the taskbar? Remove your browser icon from that. The easier you make your browser to access, the more often you’ll access it. Delete that icon and leave it on your desktop, or, better yet, keep it nestled deeply in your Start menu so you have to WORK to find it. The more work it is to goof off, the less likely you are to do it. Time saved!
This is one of the best and most useful things I’ve ever done. I do less than half the web browsing I used to, simply because I made it harder to goof off than to focus on my job.
Sure, you can be super self-disciplined all the time.. or you can just understand that you will ALWAYS inevitably go for the path of least resistance, and if you can make it harder to goof off than work, you’ll end up working. It’s a fraction of the effort. People goof off because it’s easier. The solution: Make it harder. You’ve harnessed human nature and the problem is solved.
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October 30th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
As I’m reading this I notice quick launch is all goof-offs by default, so I changed it to work programs.
November 3rd, 2006 at 6:35 am
Jo guys,
The DFI-output of my good old radeon has been broken for ages. But since I had 2 monitors sitting around I had to replace it with an even older Radeon in order to work with them.
This old Radeon is too weak to handle the regular titles atm, so Im forced to switch gfxcards to play with acceptable framerates.
Since then Im gaming a lot less and Im more productive than ever.
So yes, this works perfectly :)
November 15th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Chris, I do the same thing with mine. :) Outlook, Notepad, 3DSMAX, Photoshop, ACDsee, and.. well.. Winamp counts, right?
Michael, smart! I love altering my environment to suit my better self, just like that. :)