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One Browser Extension You Must Have - DailyBlogTips

One Browser Extension You Must Have - DailyBlogTips

One Browser Extension You Must Have

Posted: 13 Nov 2012 03:15 AM PST


These days I pretty much don’t use any browser plugins or extensions, but here’s one that I think everyone should have. It’s called “Nanny for Google Chrome”. I installed it yesterday, and I have a feeling it will give me a great productivity boost.

Here’s the problem I was trying to solve: despite knowing it’s a waste of time, I spend far too much time every day on Facebook, Gmail, Reddit and news sites. Combining all of them I think it would add up to 2 or 3 hours per day. Sure Gmail is mostly work related, and the others have a professional aspect too (e.g., I read news sites to keep up with the latest tech developments), but still it’s not where I add value to my business, so ideally those activities should be kept to a minimum.

The solution: The Nanny for Chrome extension basically allows you to input a list of URLs you want to control, specifying the amount of time per day you are allowed to use each one. Here’s how my list looks like right now:

  • Gmail – 30 minutes per day
  • Facebook – 10 minutes per day
  • Reddit – 10 minutes per day
  • NYTimes, WSJ, Economist, etc – 10 minutes per day combined

After I use my quota the extension will basically block the sites, and I’ll do my best to respect that. If the quota is consumed while you are on the site the extension will show a blank screen with this headline: “Shouldn’t you be working?”. Pretty effective huh?

You can also block sites within specific time intervals (e.g., from 9am until 5pm), but since I work pretty much 24/7 I decided to give each URL an allowed time per day.

If you don’t use Google Chrome you can download similar extensions for pretty much every other browser out there. Just search on Google for “extension/plugin to block URLs” and the name of your favorite browser.

I am looking forward to seeing the results this will have. Within a couple of months I’ll post an update to let you know.

Wanna make money with your website?

Original Post: One Browser Extension You Must Have

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