[gberardi]

Actually, one man, after getting threatened by the BSA, decided that it wasn't worth it to keep Microsoft and a number of other major software companies in his business environment. He switched the whole thing to Red Hat, I believe. He said it was great because now they only install exactly what software was needed to do work. If you don't want to have your employees playing card games or surfing the web while at work, you just don't install that software.

I did something similar when I wanted to learn how to use the command line. I had a really stripped-down Debian installation, and any time I wanted to do something, I would find out what programs were available, apt-get install them, and continue working. Eventually I learned how to make my way around a system. Even today, while I use a streamlined desktop normally, I still use the command line because I am so much faster with it.

Of course, when it comes to being disciplined, I have problems keeping focused on the task at hand. I once tried to change my DNS settings to bounce me from a number of favorite time-wasting sites to a home page that also says something like "Don't procrastinate", but it didn't work too well since it was too easy for me to remove the block.

What does seem to work, however, is timeboxing. I remember being much more productive at my computer while doing laundry. Every 45 minutes, I would stop working, change loads, then start over. You don't waste too much time when you know you only have a few minutes to work. If I have an entire afternoon to work in, I will sometimes only spend 1 hour doing real work, if that. And not necessarily all in a row, either! It was just too easy to think, "Well, I've got hours, so I'll spend just one moment here on this website".

If you say, "I have X minutes to perform this task", you've basically given your mind the idea that you are starved for time and can't waste it. It's a precious resource, and you can always waste time later when you're done. Which brings me to the second tip: plan your goof-off time.

Schedule blocks of time for "whatever". Right now, you have to finish your report. After it is finished, you can check your email or talk with a friend for 15 minutes. Basically, reassure your brain that after this boring stuff is done, it will have some fun. It just has to be patient, but only for a little while.