> To this day, TV just absorbs me, I just can't stop watching.
Same here. Having grown up without much TV, I find it absolutely hypnotic when it's on, which is why keeping it off is critical to my productivity.
My not owning a TV isn't some form of elitism; I don't keep a TV in the house for the same reason a recovering alcoholic doesn't keep liquor in the house - I can't trust myself with it 24/7.
My question is - how do you maintain this discipline in the age of internet video on demand? As PG put it in his essay on distraction, I often feel like sometime in the last few years someone snuck in and put a TV on my desk.
I work from home much of the time, and that requires a fast, always-on internet connection. I've been reasonably successful at keeping my bad habits in check to date, but the temptation alone is a regular distraction.
I'd be very interested to hear how others deal with this.
I do the Pomodoro technique when focus is crucial... it's surprisingly effective. Something interesting happens when you have permissible but cleanly defined segments of time to goof off.
Same here. Having grown up without much TV, I find it absolutely hypnotic when it's on, which is why keeping it off is critical to my productivity.
My not owning a TV isn't some form of elitism; I don't keep a TV in the house for the same reason a recovering alcoholic doesn't keep liquor in the house - I can't trust myself with it 24/7.
My question is - how do you maintain this discipline in the age of internet video on demand? As PG put it in his essay on distraction, I often feel like sometime in the last few years someone snuck in and put a TV on my desk.
I work from home much of the time, and that requires a fast, always-on internet connection. I've been reasonably successful at keeping my bad habits in check to date, but the temptation alone is a regular distraction.
I'd be very interested to hear how others deal with this.