Priacta

Probably the easiest place to get distracted (and waste time) is surfing the Internet. Hyperlinks lead everywhere, and there are so many interesting things to read and watch and do. This is a huge time drain for the typical person, and if you struggle with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) it can be almost insurmountable.

So how can you conquer these distractions? I’ll share a couple suggestions in this and future posts.

Focused Social Bookmarking with del.icio.us

Use a social bookmarking tool, and pick one that focuses you instead of distracting. Used properly, these can be a great help, but stay away from any that draw attention to videos or other links. I recommend del.icio.us because of its no-frills, low-distraction approach.

Besides organizing your links, you can use the simple interface of del.icio.us to maintain laser-sharp focus while browsing. Here’s how.

1) Install the del.icio.us add-ins for your favorite browsers.

2) When you see something interesting, quickly post it to you del.icio.us list with a tag of S/M. Do not add additional tags at this time. That last part is important.

3) When you have spare time, check out your S/M list. Visit the sites that still seem interesting to you, and move them out of S/M by replacing that tag with one or two others. Delete any sites you no longer want to visit.

With this method, you are really creating a Someday/Maybe browsing list. Much of your impulse browsing will simply disappear, yet sites you really want to visit will not be lost.

Questions? Post a comment. Please feel free to tell us your experience with this approach.

Image by Gabriella Fabbri.