Hey Lifehacker, I’m considering a move from working in an office to working from home, and I’m concerned about distractions — especially porn. I can’t really avoid using the internet for my line of work, so what are some anti-porn and anti-distraction solutions I can implement that I won’t be able to get around myself? Thanks, Distracturbation
Coupling picture from Shutterstock
Dear Distracturbation,
We’ve featured plenty of solutions for making sure you stay focused and don’t visit inappropriate sites while working, from planning your day carefully to apps that ration your online time. But here’s the brutal reality: on your own home computer, the only person stopping you from disabling those options or ignoring your schedule and becoming stuck in an endless porn loop is you. And if the very first thought that pops into your head when the option of working from home comes up is “Wow, I’ll be able to spend a lot more time catching hot all-nude streaming action”, I’m inclined to suspect you won’t have the willpower when you need it. Willy power, possibly, but willpower, no.
Working from home is great for flexibility and (potentially) productivity, but not everybody thrives in an environment where they aren’t surrounded by colleagues. Sometimes that’s because they’re better at working in a supervised environment; sometimes it’s because household tasks are too accessible a distraction; and sometimes that’s because they find it difficult to sit down at their home computer with their pants on. If you already suspect you fall into this category, then frankly working at home probably isn’t the right choice.
Some even more brutal advice? If you do have to work from home but all you want to do is spend time on sites that would be blocked by your work filter, try this: get the masturbation out of the way first. Put it on the calendar and knock it off as an item on your to-do list. That might help you get over the hump, so to speak.
Cheers
Lifehacker
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Comments
22 responses to “Ask LH: How Can I Stop Browsing Porn When I Work From Home? (NSFW)”
LOL IS THIS FOR SERIOUS
Just don’t watch porn while you’re trying to work. Seems pretty clear cut. Jesus..
If porn is such an issue that you can’t get on your computer without looking up porn you have a serious problem, maybe an addiction if it is so bad that it affects your day to day life.
OMG I typed that whole sentence without looking at porn, better look at some now…..
Agreed. If you can’t peel yourself away from porn long enough to perform your daily functions, it’s time to seek serious help.
Easy fix. Dual monitors.
But then I just end up watching twice as much porn!
What is this I don’t even….
Seriously, are people that desperate in sexual needs that they can’t work just a few hours without a wank? It’s something you should grow out of during high school, by the time you enter the workforce keeping your hands above the desk should be a well practiced skill.
Get some help dude. Soon.
Reward yourself incrementally! Do a couple hours of work while waiting for some to download, then use it up. Queue up some more, work for a couple hours, play the porn, queue more up… So much productivity. With that kind of motivation you’d probably get in more than eight hours work, I’m sure.
Haha. waiting for porn to download. What year is it?
Just let go 😉
The solution here is actually a dedicated porn machine.
Separate from your everyday work machine. Just don’t confuse the two.
You are a pathetic case.
If you don’t have enough self discipline to avoid watching internet porn then you should not be working from home.
There’s no need to insult him. He is looking for help so he knows there’s a problem.
Start drinking methylated spirits while you work. You’ll either get so bleary that you can’t think about porn, or you’ll go blind in which case you can’t look at porn. Either way, it’s a win.
Or more seriously, if you are finding it that hard not to look at porn rather than work then it is time to see a counsellor or psych or perhaps refer back to a previous lifehacker article on self control.
To eliminate the mid morning urge to “view” porn, I find that a tactical wank before leaving for work often helps.
Hahaha!
Although this poor guy sounds like he’s got more of an issue than that. I look at pron from 1-3x a day and i don’t think that would ever amount to more than 30mins. My work doesn’t suffer, but some of my colleagues do find it a little off putting.
When I was working from home I had a hard time staying focused. Ended up losing a few months to an MMO (I was self-employed; so not like I was ripping off a company… just myself).
Separating your “home” area and your “work” area is a really good first step. If there is somewhere (bedroom or lounge) where you usually browse the web, play games, (and look at porn?); then try to get away from there to do your work. Setup an area that is more work focused that you only use *for* work. Obviously if you only have one desktop computer this might be hard.
If you do feel the insatiable urge for a distraction (porn or otherwise), go and “relax” in your home area. Once you’re done, get back into the “work” area and do some work. You might still get distracted but I’ve found that its at least a good start for those of us who struggle with staying focussed.
Assuming professional help is already being sought, this is good advice for anyone working at home.. and make sure your “play” area is not within sight of the work area, even if it’s just a matter of shutting the door. You’ll distract yourself if you can see the play room!
Also make sure the work area and room is well lit… there’s nothing going to make you drowsy like sitting in a dark room trying to work.
Mitchell and Webb say it all
Try installing an electric fan under your desk, above your lap, with no blade protection. If you get an erection your private parts get hit by the fan. That should do the trick.
You’re not going to catch me doing that a third time.
…castration?
pre-work tactical fap as suggested might help keep you focused on work. get it out of your system so to speak.
Learn to type with one hand. Problem solved.
you should be working on porn-related project
Mocking the poster isn’t appropriate here. Porn is an insidious distraction. It’s one of the only addictive substances you can give yourself a partial fix on just by imagining it. Once it’s in your head, it’s in your head.
As someone who has similar difficulty I have three suggestions:
(1) Take your work out of the house to a public place whenever possible (coffee shop, library, office cooperative, etc.)
(2) Log your time meticulously in a personal log. This means every single minute: Bathroom breaks. Meal times. Minutes spent browsing wikipedia. Minutes spent watching porn. Don’t cheat your log, or it won’t do you any good. You might find you’re less inclined to take a porn break if you hold yourself accountable for logging it in your personal log.
(3) When at home, work from a dedicated home office set up, on a computer you don’t use for anything recreational. Keep an entirely separate desk and computer for your personal recreation.