Jump-starting web productivity by logging off

by Andy DeSoto on July 14, 2008

I’ve only been up for a few hours, and already I’m stuck in an afternoon rut: reloading the same websites, refreshing the same empty conversations, and switching between the same tabs.  As my summer vacation nears an end, I realize the next five weeks will pass in a similar way unless I cut back on useless web activity to jump-start my productivity both on- and off-line.

Just saying no

So here’s what’s happening: in order to refresh my mind, rather than my homepage, I’m temporarily logging off some of my more-frequented and less-useful websites in order to streamline my web experience.  Here’s what’s immediately being put into a “DO NOT ENTER” tab in my Firefox browser:

  • Socialthing!
  • FriendFeed
  • Pownce
  • Plurk
  • Swurl

(And more, too, but I so rarely use some of these services it won’t make a difference.)

I’m going to go without these utilities as long as I can manage (probably about a week) and see if my quality of life improves or decreases over that time.  Perhaps I’ll report back mid-week to see if anything’s changed.

Join me?

Why don’t you consider dropping a service or two for the week, as well?  If there’s something you might be able to do without, now’s as good of a time as any.  Comment here if you’re up to the challenge, since I won’t be reading the FriendFeed comments for this entry!

In the meantime…

Just because I’m signing off, though, doesn’t mean I don’t want to chat with you.  Hit me up by e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, AIM (kades905), or phone (message me first) and I’ll be there before you know it.

  • StumbleUpon
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Mixx
  • del.icio.us
  • Google Bookmarks
  • email
  • Print
If you liked this article, you might also enjoy:
  1. Social network pruning heuristic #2: Eliminate cross-posters Fortunately, the solution is simple, albeit time-consuming: take a few minutes to unfollow any individuals that repeatedly send the exact...
  2. Friend conversion ratios and opt-in aggregators Services like FriendFeed that requires signing up for an additional account are not practical. The future lies in aggregators that...
  3. Social network pruning heuristic #1: Full names only Here's an easy idea to lose a few pounds on your favorite networks. Stop following anyone who doesn't provide their...