How to save 8 hours a week
I just found what is perhaps the most useful firefox toolbar ever! The toolbar is called 8aweek. When you set it up, you can mark certain sites as “restricted sites,” and set a daily time limit for your restricted sites. When you have used up your daily allotment of time, the screen goes gray and you can no longer navigate a restricted site. If you return to a restricted site you can get a 10 minute overtime allotment (but you are warned that you have already exceeded your time). I set my time for a total of 60 minutes allowed daily. This means I have 60 minutes to get through facebook, forums, and google reader.
If you are in serious need of not being distracted, you can set your 8aweek toolbar into block mode. This gives you a set number of “snoozes” on restricted sites. Once your snoozes are used up for the day, you get the gray, unnavigable screen. I set mine for 2 15 minute snoozes in block mode.
If you find yourself with loads of time to cruise youtube, and you don’t want to be limited with the gray-screen, you can disable 8aweek. Your time still gets recorded and goes onto the daily usage report, but you can spend all day navigating your restricted sites without interruption.
This may be my “must have” Firefox toolbar of 2008.
August 2nd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
If I had not already decided to cut way, way back on my computer time, I would so be downloading this tool! But, I’ve been able to stay away a lot. It was getting really bad, to the point that I just about lived to get on the computer. Now, that I’ve gotten away from it, I am enjoying so many things again!
August 7th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Is it working?
August 7th, 2008 at 10:04 am
well, at least I am getting distracted by real-life things rather than the virtual world. It has helped cut back my internet time, the house seems to be staying cleaner. Heck, I’ve even noticed that someone keeps taking the dishes to the sink (when I’m the only one home). I’ve been doing some project planning, and I have a HUGE list of what I can do with my extra 8+ hours a week. Part of that list includes finishing my wedding album before this baby shows up.