The Internet can be the most helpful tool out there, but it can also be the most harmful tool towards productivity. It has an infinite amount of knowledge and sometimes that amount of information can overwhelm you. How can you prevent that from happening? Every time you get on your computer the Internet is just one click away. There is one solution and its called Freedom. It is an application only available to Mac users. Freedom blocks the Internet for up to eight hours and the only way to get use of the Internet again is by rebooting your computer. Fred Stutzman created it when his technique of avoiding the Internet by writing in a coffee shop failed when the coffee shop went wireless. This application is downloaded over 4,000 times a month. People all around the world love the freedom they get when there is no Internet to distract them.
This blog post took approximately 3 hours to write. That sounds a little ridiculous for a short blog post right? Well, it took me 3 hours to write not because I’m a slow or horrible writer, its just because I have Internet. What happened to me has probably happened you numerous times. You sit down at your computer and start to write an essay for class. You get off to a good start; the introduction and thesis are down. Then you come across a topic that you are not so sure about so you have to Google it really fast. There are so many links to go to and then one click turns into two clicks, three clicks, four clicks, and then you realize you’re not even on a site that has anything to do with your topic anymore. You force yourself to focus and start writing again. A few minutes later you have this urge to check something. You know you shouldn’t and that you don’t have any time, but you do it anyway. Now you’re on Facebook. You’re updating your status, looking on friends’ profiles, and creeping on people’s photo albums. You got your fix, but then you check the clock and it’s been 3 hours since you started your paper and all you have are two paragraphs!
I’m not saying that the Internet is a bad thing. It’s actually pretty amazing and has definitely helped me a lot. I think that it’s our own fault that we get so distracted. That’s why Freedom is a great tool for people out there that are not ready to willingly let go of their Internet. The Internet has so many portals and possibilities that people naturally want to explore them, but there is a time and place for that. When you have free time or actually have the need to research things on the Internet, then that’s perfectly acceptable. But when you have to get something important done then your priorities have to be to get it done in a timely manor and without any distractions. You can’t blame the fact you never finished your English essay on Facebook.
