“Writing is 10% Hard Work and 90% ignoring the internet”. Boy, ain’t that the truth.
I have been experimenting with Rescue Time this week. Rescue Time is a software system that tracks when you are being productive and when you are fucking around online and not doing what you should. I have some pretty tight deadlines in the run up to Christmas, and although my job does involve a high proportion of using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to promote various bits and bobs for the LSF and freelance clients, it is not where ALL my time should be.
I was particularly drawn to Rescue Time for two reasons.
1) It tracks what you do during the day and you can work out when you were the most productive. For me it is the morning, and oddly post 8pm at night.
2) You can set up “focus time” where the software essentially blocks all distracting sites for a period of time you have set.
This week I’ve been trying to finish a short script. My pattern up to now has been this. Write a bit, get stuck on a dialogue line, go on Facebook, piss around, go back to the script, push a little bit forward, go onto twitter, see if anyone has “@”ed any of my accounts, make a cup of tea, wait for the clock get to a quarter before restart, restart, visit Facebook.
It’s a familiar story and I think one many writers are probably familiar with.
Step in, Rescue Time. Now the pattern is write an bit, get stuck on a dialogue line, go on Facebook, Rescue Time pops up saying “Hey, you told me you wanted to be focused for 30 minutes, what you doing on Facebook?”, I blush, go back to the script and actually work through the dialogue line.
It has been amazing to see just how often I stop what I am doing and go looking for a distraction instead of knuckling down and working through the problem.
This week it has meant that I have actually managed to smack my To Do list square in the kisser. It has also meant that I have had the opportunity to see what sites are the main offenders for my skiddling around – aside from Facebook and Twitter, the big offender is the Daily Mail site. I know. I'm a little disgusted by this myself. *shameface* this is what happens when you have a secret passion for celeb gossip.
Anyway, if you are struggling and want to put a bit of zap under your productivity, then have a look at Rescue Time. There is a 14 day free trial and then it is a couple of quid a month. I am going to see how I get on with it for a month or so. If I am still using it in January and haven’t managed to wean myself out the bad habits then it’s a keeper.
I have been experimenting with Rescue Time this week. Rescue Time is a software system that tracks when you are being productive and when you are fucking around online and not doing what you should. I have some pretty tight deadlines in the run up to Christmas, and although my job does involve a high proportion of using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to promote various bits and bobs for the LSF and freelance clients, it is not where ALL my time should be.
I was particularly drawn to Rescue Time for two reasons.
1) It tracks what you do during the day and you can work out when you were the most productive. For me it is the morning, and oddly post 8pm at night.
2) You can set up “focus time” where the software essentially blocks all distracting sites for a period of time you have set.
This week I’ve been trying to finish a short script. My pattern up to now has been this. Write a bit, get stuck on a dialogue line, go on Facebook, piss around, go back to the script, push a little bit forward, go onto twitter, see if anyone has “@”ed any of my accounts, make a cup of tea, wait for the clock get to a quarter before restart, restart, visit Facebook.
It’s a familiar story and I think one many writers are probably familiar with.
Step in, Rescue Time. Now the pattern is write an bit, get stuck on a dialogue line, go on Facebook, Rescue Time pops up saying “Hey, you told me you wanted to be focused for 30 minutes, what you doing on Facebook?”, I blush, go back to the script and actually work through the dialogue line.
It has been amazing to see just how often I stop what I am doing and go looking for a distraction instead of knuckling down and working through the problem.
This week it has meant that I have actually managed to smack my To Do list square in the kisser. It has also meant that I have had the opportunity to see what sites are the main offenders for my skiddling around – aside from Facebook and Twitter, the big offender is the Daily Mail site. I know. I'm a little disgusted by this myself. *shameface* this is what happens when you have a secret passion for celeb gossip.
Anyway, if you are struggling and want to put a bit of zap under your productivity, then have a look at Rescue Time. There is a 14 day free trial and then it is a couple of quid a month. I am going to see how I get on with it for a month or so. If I am still using it in January and haven’t managed to wean myself out the bad habits then it’s a keeper.
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