I suffer from chronic procrastination, as do many others I know, and I know I would like no more than to be able to sit at my computer and actually walk away five hours later having done something productive. With a high speed internet connecton and near 60 gigs of games, this rarely happens.

What I propose is a program which you install into your computer that aids you in keeping on track. It would be imbedded deep, deep within the registry...so much so that a skilled hacker would need an hour or so to get it completely uninstalled. Whenever you need to have something done, enter it into the program. If an hour or so later, the program you need to get your work done is not open (or you have not completed the task yet), the computer issues a warning that in 1 minute (or something like that so you can save your game), it will close all programs. It will then open the one you need, and lock it open. Also, for the persistant procrastinator, it would start the program back up immediately if you shut the computer off by the button or plug.

It would be a huge programming venture, yet in the end I think it would be worth the work. I'll get started on it tomorrow....
-- NeverDie, Dec 15 2001

Deprocrastinator http://www.halfbake...stinator#1000833479
Same problem, different approach. [DrBob, Dec 15 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Deprocrastinator http://www.halfbake...tor.html#1000833479
Same problem, different approach. [DrBob, Oct 21 2004]

You know, I think this idea has some merit. There are times when I sure could use this, or something like it. What would also be helpful is if this program would lock out certain URLs, too. (Like THIS ONE for example).
-- bristolz, Dec 15 2001


Croissant.
-- jimithing, Dec 15 2001


Buy a Mac. Unless the kind of games you like are World Jigsaws with 8 peices, and a very addictive Solitaire. Apart from that, there is bug*er all else to play on one. But that doesn't really solve the problem of 24hr Halfbaking. So yes, I would like one, haven't done any real work for a couple of days now. Have a croissant.
-- arora, Dec 15 2001


All work and no play, makes giz a dumb lad.
-- gizmo, Dec 15 2001


"a skilled hacker would need an hour or so to get it completely uninstalled"

Wouldn't this be a brilliant displacement activity in itself...?
-- -alx, Dec 15 2001


Hmmm, good point. I guess you could add a feature that disables all debugers and restricts 'unnatural' registry editing to deter those who would be so inclined to try...
-- NeverDie, Dec 15 2001


//Buy a Mac. Unless the kind of games you like are World Jigsaws with 8 peices, and a very addictive Solitaire. Apart from that, there is bug*er all else to play on one.//

Not to encourage a Mac-PC flamewar, but uh, you're wrong.

As for the idea, sounds good, except that people would probably just stop entering things in. You'd need to have it so that the computer wouldn't operate at all unless a variety of tasks had been entered.
-- PotatoStew, Dec 17 2001


I have worked on Macs for 20 years and would argue the toss over a PC any day (well, not really argue, but favour them) for the ease of operating system, graphics capabilites etc. but have not yet found a good game, could you maybe recommend one. On second thoughts please don't. I have enough distractions as it is.
-- arora, Dec 17 2001


I could really use this. Could it be expanded to also disable my television? Sadly enough, I think that even with "distraction devices" disabled, a true procrasitnator would find a way to occupy his/her time until the last minute before the work had to be done.
-- dana_renay, Dec 18 2001


[Rods Tiger]: Is your original Mac a 128? I have heard that those things are selling for a lot of money to collectors these days. Someone told me that they are selling for as much as $12,000USD, depending on model. I have no proof of that, though.
-- bristolz, Dec 18 2001


Ah, the good old days. What the hell was this idea about again?
-- phoenix, Dec 19 2001


[UnaBubba] Well, I would bake this idea, seeming I have the programming expertice, but it still isn't tomorrow yet.
-- NeverDie, Dec 21 2001


Catch you later then, maybe
-- thumbwax, Dec 22 2001


Like the idea, it just seems impossible to implement. E.g. how would a program know, that I'm finished with my Programming task, or my Word document. I could just say I'm done with it, and I'll be back to playing games, no need to spend an hour hacking to do that.
-- romanmar, Oct 21 2004


What about telling the program which applications you will need to use for the task, and then have it let those processes pass, but recognise other processes, and kill them within 5 minutes of them opening. That way valid processes spawned by your real applications pass, and kill off all the games that you're playing. Romanmar: You could, but then it could work out that you really hadn't spent enough time on it, and give a low priority to your games processes. And like all programs, it is built on the assumption that user input will be valid.
-- flowblok, Sep 28 2006



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