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Software For Slackers: Lockout
Matijs van Zuijlen writes "Having trouble getting work done? Reading Slashdot too much? Lockout will enforce some dicipline. It will lock you out of your internet connection, and then lock you out of your root account so you can't unlock it. For a limited time of course. Use at your own peril."
didn't read the article did ya?
A @reboot entry in root's crontab file ensures that rebooting your machine will put the original root password back in place.
Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
... and whatever the equivelent is in other bootloaders.
I.e. with physical acess to the box (which, in the case of this software, you will), you can always recover a lost root password, by booting single user, and then changing it.
In the event that you've locked up your bootloader with a password, this util doesn't change that.
If you've really locked it up the wazoo with crypto all over the place, I think it's recoverable with a boot disc (as you'll have the bios password, or be able to wipe it, to re-enable booting from CD). Mind you, if you've done that then you're not likely to be the sort of person who needs this util.
Frankly, I'd agree with you about self-discipline - there are very few cases where an externally imposed discipline is useful as anything other than a tempory measure. This is not one of those cases, in my opinion.
It is, however, always worth knowing how to recover from any problem, where it is possible. Backups not needed in this case.
"Affect", not "e"ffect...
But, it is a common foible. Another is where people use "rather then" instead of "rather than"...
By levying this shot across your bow, I leave myself open to scrutiny/attack, too.
Bon-word-a-tit
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
I do the same thing... or attempt to... when I feel like it... sometimes.
I use TeaTimer (OS X) with a 30 minute countdown clock and make a to-do list in OmniOutliner. Item #1 on the To-Do list is always "update to-do list." When the 30 minutes is up I either keep working on what I've been doing (if I'm making good progress) or move on to the next item.
An important component of this is that it's OK to put something like "Play [Quake|Doom|DNF]" on the list. You do a couple of "work" items and reward yourself with something fun, then more "work." Instead of being overwhelmed by the 500 things you need to get done and just blowing 'em all off -- and playing a game or web surfing -- you work on the TPS report for 1/2 an hour and then "goof off," then work on the cover page for the TPS report for a 1/2 hour, track down who took your red stapler, etc.
It's also a good idea to put the most dreaded item at the top of the list and do it first, then the rest of the day is all downhill.
Check out "The Now Habit" by Neil Fiore -- esp. Chapter 6, "The Unschedule". You can read some pages at Amazon.
(Now, if you'll excuse me, I have 9 other web pages to read.)