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A 5 Day PM Computer Fast Greatly Increased My Productivity

lifedev.net — "Being a web developer, I ’m constantly on-line. I live and die by email, and the internet is my workplace. Last week I mentioned that I would be going on a nightly computer “fast”, meaning that I would only be using the computer until I was done working (5-6pm), and shutting it down for the rest of the evening." Less Is The New More.

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  • andrethegiant, on 10/12/2007, -0/+47But I need digg to read me a bedtime story...
    • fyre2012, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13well it won't be this one... it's already down

      Gooooo digg effect!
      http://www.duggmirror.com/tech_news/A_5_Day_PM_Computer_Fast_Greatly_Increased_My_Productivity/#c3061186
    • foamweapons, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Me too. This week I started using a greasemonkey script to ban digg until after 10pm so it's only allowed at bedtime...
      http://assets.lifehacker.com/software/uploaded/2006-01-04/invisibililty-cloak.user.js

      The article suggests 'fasting' but with this script I've just decided to 'eat healthy.'
    • jordantbro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4He said he was a web developer. I guess he is not a web server expert too.

    • skydivingdutch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11NEVER!!!! The machine stays on and basks me in its 9000K polarized CCFL glow
    • ywong137, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7This is a well-known time management technique for enhancing productivity at technology companies with flex hours. Basically, if employees know they can work whatever hours they want, they tend to just assume if they're not done, they can stay as long as they need to. As a result, "work expands to fill the time."

      Instead, if you declare a rule for yourself that you're going to go home at 5PM (or 7PM) no matter what, you'll end up automatically prioritizing your work, focusing on what needs to get done, and get a lot more done.

      I've seen a lot of people defiantly declare that they're "doing too much work" and that now they're going to balance their life by cutting back and going home at 5PM sharp, and they're always surprised to find themselves way more productive as a result.
    • Silencer7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"48-Hour Internet Outage Plunges Nation Into Productivity"
      http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29601
    • noGoodNamesLeft, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Amen.... this article said *exactly* what I'd discovered for myself. All I'll add is that, if overdone (everyone needs a legit break now and then), "slacking off" displacement-activities are generally a poor and unsatisfying substitute for "proper" leisure activities.

      Ultimately you could get more work done *and* have more genuine fun by working properly and then going off and doing something you *really* like (e.g. sports, party, whatever).

      I did this at university; I thought I was working for hours on end, and felt it was "necessary" to put in a lot of hours, but in retrospect there was a lot of pointless f*****g-about displacement activity, and I could have got more work done in less time.
    • brundlefly76, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There is another, much greater benefit to this, and it is improving your personal relationships, especially with your S.O. When I have my laptop in front of me, my girlfreind becomes a nuisance (!). My girlfriend is not a nuisance, and this becomes perfectly clear when the lid shuts.
    • blogfuse, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Wow, I woke up this morning to see my blog post a) not only listed on Digg but b) on page 2 with 417 diggs! Thanks for the love you guys!

      Oh, and although I am a web developer, I did make the cardinal sin of not installing WP-Cache in case I did get on the homepage of Digg. Lesson learned, ;)
  • twatwaffle, on 10/12/2007, -41/+7You have increased your productivity.... but cant type a grammatically correct title?
    • dayquil, on 10/12/2007, -12/+32a) there's nothing wrong with it really
      b) what does that have to do with anything
      c) just shut up
    • twatwaffle, on 10/12/2007, -40/+2Nothing wrong with it?

      Youre a *****.
    • daofma, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7As a long-time user of the English language, I'm not sure what's wrong with the title. "A 5 day afternoon computer fast increased my productivity." What grammatical rules were broken? The only possible issue is with word usage, is it really a fast?
    • rjghwruigvyoy, on 10/12/2007, -13/+3Shut up
    • Rikkochet, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2This comment arc just needs a "your retarded" and it's about wrapped up.

      All done.
    • Chipsandsnacks, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2OH. :O I read the word *fast* out of context, but now it makes sense :D
    • burke, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15"Youre a *****."

      Hey, everybody! Everybody, come quick! Ok, now point and laugh -- the grammar nazi forgot an apostrophe!
    • denhamcoote, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Ah, now let's talk about your shortcomings in the grammar department...

      It's can't (yes, that's an apostrophe) not cant.
      It's you're (look, another one!) not youre.

      What was that word? Oh yeah - *****. Practice what you preach, hmm?
    • TOTALineptitude, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Twatwaffle, no one here cares about minor grammatical errors except you. Goat felcher.
  • intrktevo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8my productivity is being lowered waiting for the page to load

    ..wait, there's an error.
  • meepus, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4It makes grammatical sense if and only if you insert imaginary hyphens and commas.
    • dayquil, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3you've changed it from overly descriptive (which it isn't - your real objection is to the "PM" as opposed to "evening") to outright inaccurate (as it's not a complete 5-day fast).
  • PhantomTrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I remember cutting out video games for a few months, for Lent I believe (stfu!), and I had so much more time it was ridiculous.
    I remember watching all of the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition movies with director's commentary, and then some of the actor's commentary. It was crazy how much time I spent playing video games back then.

    Needless to say, I've since cut back my VG time.
    • choicetoes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20Sounds like you really managed to put that recouped time to very productive use! Good thing you weren't wasting time playing videogames!
  • Lane, on 10/12/2007, -10/+3by PC fast I'm assuming you mean switching to a laptop and or blackberry
  • xtr3m, on 10/12/2007, -9/+12http://www.duggmirror.com/tech_news/A_5_Day_PM_Computer_Fast_Greatly_Increased_My_Productivity/
  • HanSolo69, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Dugg just for the headline being one of the most confusing, yet at the same time perfectly fine headlines i've ever seen.
  • CypherXero, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Apparently he shut down the server...
  • wjackson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Great article. I've experienced similar results when I was temporarily spearated from my computer...albeit because of damage incurred from it colliding with terra firma. The point is that I was MUCH more productive every time I was in front of a computer.

    But I got another one today...and I'm digging into the wee hours....ah, well....
  • twatwaffle, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2Increase productivity by typing sentances that make sense.
    • denhamcoote, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3And perhaps by being able to _spell_ correctly as well, hmm Mr Spelling Nazi?

      It's sentence. Not sentance. Get it right before you make more of an ass of yourself.
    • PsychoPNut, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1sounds southern
  • Roger, on 10/12/2007, -1/+65PM? Dude you're friggin' nuts.
  • chadu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5can't pry myself form computer. would. involve. too. much. social. interaction.
  • koan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6
    Someone needs to put a stop to this kind of subversive thinking immediately.

    The only way you could seriously stop using a computer by 6pm would be to sleep 7 hours from that point, then start your day at 1am.

    How else are you going to have enough time to read all the crap on the internet, let alone get any work done.
    • thewebguy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4i guess his work computer is his server too..
  • gadgetsguy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Lets hope with his new found productivity he can afford decent hosting :P
  • shakma, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0"less is the new more"?

    umm... less is always ore.
  • robustyoungsoul, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Crap. I'm reading this at 1:15 in the morning.
    • cinder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Me too (well, 12:30 AM). And I just copied and pasted the link to all my IMs and then said, "goodbye."

      Er... goodbye.

      Edit: Bye.
  • mateo60, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Great idea. Maybe I should do that. I'm also a web developer, but I work from home. I've been online all day.

    Crap, I'm reading this at 1:24 in the morning. ;)
  • PsychoPNut, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3This story is so dugg because of his multiple mentions of Ninjas!
  • hosiah, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Coder leaves computer for awhile, then comes back to the computer to post his glorius reveletions of experiencing life away from the computer. Extra! Read all about it!

    Seriously, this is an old idea. I work at home on the box too, but being my own boss I give myself whole days off - otherwise I burn out. In the nine-to-five world this is called a "weekend".

    A further tip: Don't spend your time off the computer watching TV. You're just trading staring at a lit box and typing for staring at a lit box while not typing.
  • tybris, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yeh great... and what if you get home around 5PM and then have to do your webdevelopment work?
  • antdude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1http://www.duggmirror.com/tech_news/A_5_Day_PM_Computer_Fast_Greatly_Increased_My_Productivity/
  • Vinhdicated, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm a pretty wired college student, but I'm trying to limit my time on my laptop so I could bump up my grades. I should be reading books instead of stories on Digg!
  • cappslite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Not only, but a weekend fast personally serves me well. I actually look forward to work on Monday morning!
  • MihaiM, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I think a BlackBerry might help for this.
  •  

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