I know how tempting the web & email can be when you're working on something. You hear a song on the radio and you decide you want to find out more about the band, you wonder if anyone has visited your website lately so you check the stats, etc. etc. etc.
I agree with you about the problem of computers being associated with fun as well as work. It's always challenge to concentrate on work when you'd rather be doing something else, on the computer or not. I do a fair bit of work at home and I have the constant temptation of the fridge, the TV, the bed, etc. I cut myself some slack in the early morning, but during the workday I challenge myself to get 7 hours of work in before I do any of these other things.
My computer is hardwired to a cable modem, so one thing that helps is to disconnect the cable when I want to concentrate on something. Having to take that extra conscious step of reconnecting makes me stop and think whether I really need to break my concentration for whatever question has just popped into my head. Of course, sometimes I need to be online to do my work, but if I think about it, I can do most of the hard work while I'm disconnected. (If you've got wireless on a laptop, I suppose you could do the same thing with that little switch that you turn off when you're flying.) Long-term, I should be working on my concentration skills so that I'm not having to use little tricks like this, but it works for me now.  |