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."

Comments

Workaround

[freeze128]

Hello Knoppix boot CD....

This should be run on ....

[UnidentifiedCoward]

production servers for sure. I personally think this is a rather stupid idea. Why on earth you would allow this to run is beyond me. You have bigger issues than time management if you run this that is for sure.

Some fun stuff and some serious stuff

[Entropy248]

This sounds like fanastic fun at my old school...

This could also be great for some computer labs, as long as you could still access network resources like printers. Type the paper at home, print it in the lab (or dorm shared computer, or whatever).

Something like this is terrific for secure environments too. Guaranteed no internet connection or root powers, even with physical access. It's only a printer, calculator, or data entry computer for practical purposes.

I bet that in the days of free AOL minutes this could've saved me hundreds of dollars...

Slashdot

[t_allardyce]

All i need is for this on slashdot, can this go in the slash-code? In my settings i could set daily quotas/limits and my account would just be locked out from posting or my IP banned for x hours. Locking out root and taking your internet connection away isnt going to help most people since their work needs the internet and maybe root. I got through most addiction problems by just getting rid of all my games, after 2 days you don't even miss them although damn soldat, those assholes have to make it only 10mb! i just download it when ever i want it and then delete it. Of course there were afew times when i got weak and tried to recover things from my HD but i got wise to that and overwrote. Now slashdot is pretty much my only distraction from work, damn i hate slashdot you are ruining my life you hear!?! must stop using slashdot! the reason this would work best in slash code is that there's pretty much no way to by-pass it. Of-course it will never happen, the page-views for adverts would just go down the drain.. maybe a subscription only option? really you guys would have that happy feeling of knowing that you had increased productivity in the entire world geek community!

Bill yourself and, uh, save

[huskerdoo]

When I was biking around Australia in 2002-2003, I was having to shell out $5-12 AUD per hour for net access ($24 AUD an hour at the WA/SA border on the Nullabor!). I found myself to be insanely productive when it came to programming, answering email, etc when it was costing me by the minute. No Slashdot, random looks at IMDB.com for a movie I saw 15 years ago, etc.

So I've half joked with billing myself for time on the internet, with the money going into a jar or some thing like that...now that I'm back and messing around on the net when I should be working. I would be more productive, and be quite rich at the end of the year!

attempts at "self-discipline" during college

[FleaPlus]

I remember I'd sometimes end up doing a "apt-get remove mozilla" in order to get more work done. Then I'd find myself using lynx to procrastinate, so I'd have to "apt-get remove lynx". Then I started ssh'ing into the University servers and running mozilla off those machines...

Sigh.

Incidentally, I also gave up Slashdot for Lent last year. I actually managed to hold out for a few weeks, but eventually my will collapsed.

Re:Lockout....Business edition

[DaCool42]

EGAD! I hope you aren't a parent. All using this on your kid is going to do is teach him/her that:

- You don't respect them (won't even give them 2 minutes to finish that email?!)
- You have no backbone (can't enforce anything with out a program that makes it very difficult for you to go back on your word)
- You spend way to much time on /.

Re:Silly

[Leebert]

Learn a little bit of self-discipline if you are a work time web junkie.

As a non-diagnosed ADHD guy (self-diagnosed?) I've found that if I schedule my time in tiny increments with tiny breaks inbetween, it helps me to focus.

I tell myself that I will focus exclusively on a particular task for 15 minutes, then allow myself 5 minutes to do something else before returning for another 15 minutes, etc. It works great most of the time. Once my thoughts start to wander, I can remind myself that I only have to think about this for another 8 minutes.

Re:How does one get around it?

[Jad LaFields]

Yeah, this would be great for me too. I already do all my work in Linux partially because it actually doesn't play most videogames. I don't have wine installed or any linux games, so to play a game I have to reboot my computer and wait for Windows to load up. Now of course, if I really am set on slacking this wont stop me, but for those "just a 10 minute break and then back to work I swear moments", its great. Now with this program, I'll be even more productive! Bye bye slashdot!

Re:Wow

[tod_miller]

I actually YESTERDAY thought about this, because subconsciously I keep checking emails, IM's, I have a veritable cornucopia of Internet fed distractions that clutter my day.

For any brain job, you need a good 3 hour stint to warm up and cool off a thought process. I like a 3 hour morning slot of work, so I can have a nice long break, and try for a 2-3 hour slot in the afternoon.

5 hours of concentration is it in a 8 hour day, that would be fun if I worked 8 hours, but 10-12 is the norm, because you can;t leave the job with that

"It shouldn't be *able* to do that, look I can prove it mathematically that this bug can not exist"

still in your mind. The funny thing is, my job gives me freedom, I mean, if I don't want to go in, I say, I am not in today. No holiday required, I am just working flexibly for 0 hours today.

I do actually right click and disconnect my network connection sometimes (and then no my next build curse because oracle is fsk'd)

Those little 'you can mail' and anyone remember ICQ's oh oh sound? At uni this used to echo at all hours of the night across the courts... aaah.

I firefox plugin for, disallow this page between 9-5 etc etc, just to make you double check yourself, at the end, it is always personal willpower (although this script is pretty hard to bother and stop it when you have done it, like a kill button) that makes you work hard, and of course, liking you job!