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Abstract

2/resize:fit:800/0*WUA8imGPXfTjzbY1"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@preghat03200?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Donovan Grabowski</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>For an occasional slacker like me🤭, the app seemed heaven-sent. I would block off a solid 8 hours per day where I couldn’t mess around with ANY distractions and would work my butt off during those times.I quickly installed it and promptly put a 3000 words block in order to restore access to my computer during working hours.I tested it and was pleased to see that there really was no workaround. The developers weren’t joking that you really could not uninstall the app easily — it was locked in.I like to think of myself as tech savvy, but Cold Turkey proved to be too much for me.The only way to get my computer back to normal during working hours would be to type 3000 random words on a screen.The first few days, I got a lot of work done. But after a while, the downsides became apparent to me.<h1 id="cde6">How Do You Work?</h1><figure id="33be"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*mmkx7NKMPx8pOt8M"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@minhphamdesign?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Minh Pham</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>How do you like working? When do you feel most productive?Some people are able to maintain a certain level of focus for hours at a time. Others, like me, are a little bit different.I like to work in short bursts of inspiration. Let’s say I have an idea for an article. I might write the title, get a cute picture for it, then do some dishes or fold my laundry.I might even go for a walk while my brain is trying to formulate an outline of what I want to say.I might even loaf around on social media (gasp) for a while until I feel like I have a strong enough grasp on my topic to continue working.My point is, I’m just the type of person that hat

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es sitting at my desk all day and I feel like my best work is done in bursts of not more than 30–45 minutes at a time.Setting aside 8 hours for “work” ended up being counterproductive. I would basically screw around for a large part of the time I had allotted, waiting for the chance to continue with my regular working style. In the end, Cold Turkey ended up being the opposite of helpful and altered up my sleep schedule and productivity output.<h1 id="f329">Getting Rid Of The Turkey</h1><figure id="e17f"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*i2CA8ms9FI7dquuP"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@pawel_czerwinski?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Pawel Czerwinski</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>In the beginning, I was so convinced that this new style of working would help my productivity that I zealously put down a lock that would have been extremely difficult to overcome.3000.freaking.words.Towards the end of my Cold Turkey experience, I was so fed up with my laptop shutting down for hours per day that I decided to woman-up and type the entire thing. It would be better than sitting around and waiting for things to return to normal.I typed every.single.word — all 3000 of them. It took me 15 minutes and a lazer-like focus, because a single error would invalidate my efforts.I have a certain odd amount of pride in the fact that I only had 3 misspellings😊, but I also felt extremely foolish for putting myself in such a position in the first place.With things back to normal, lo and behold, I had my most productive week in months!Would I recommend Cold Turkey? Probably not. For the most part, I trust the company and it seems to be made by a benign group of individuals. On the other hand, giving an app that much control over my laptop is just not my cup of tea.As I said earlier, certain types of people would benefit from having a chunk of time blocked off, and perhaps it really would change their lives for the better.Personally? Naaaaah.</article></body>

I Tried A Really Weird Productivity App and It Nearly Drove Me Crazy

Sometimes being extreme has its downsides.

**Created by Author using Leonardo.ai.**

Please note: this isn’t going to be a generic, affiliate sponsored review raving about yet another productivity app.

Quite the contrary, I get absolutely nothing from telling you about this app and in fact, unless you have a certain type of personality, I probably would not recommend it.

This is simply my own opinion, voluntarily offered. You’ve been warned😁.

Needing A Change

At the start of the year, I wanted to try something new. I have a ton of projects slotted in, and knowing myself, I wouldn’t have time to go through all of them without sacrificing others (hence my absence on this platform🤦🏻‍♀️).

On the other hand, I also didn’t want to waste hours per day on youtube or other meaningless activities. I wanted to work for a certain amount of time per day, with little to no distractions, in order to reach my goals.

That’s when I stumbled upon an app called Cold Turkey.

It’s Simple

Cold Turkey is pretty straight forward. It’ll put a block on your working device of choice that is so freaking tight, it’ll take a PhD in software engineering to get rid of it.

Seriously, there’s no easy way to uninstall this software, as I would learn the hard way.

What websites do you find yourself wasting endless amounts of time on? Is it Reddit? Facebook? Perhaps something a bit more….scandalous? What if you could designate a certain amount of time per day where you simply COULD NOT access those websites — how much work would you get done?

The Honeymoon

For an occasional slacker like me🤭, the app seemed heaven-sent. I would block off a solid 8 hours per day where I couldn’t mess around with ANY distractions and would work my butt off during those times.

I quickly installed it and promptly put a 3000 words block in order to restore access to my computer during working hours.

I tested it and was pleased to see that there really was no workaround. The developers weren’t joking that you really could not uninstall the app easily — it was locked in.

I like to think of myself as tech savvy, but Cold Turkey proved to be too much for me.

The only way to get my computer back to normal during working hours would be to type 3000 random words on a screen.

The first few days, I got a lot of work done. But after a while, the downsides became apparent to me.

How Do You Work?

How do you like working? When do you feel most productive?

Some people are able to maintain a certain level of focus for hours at a time. Others, like me, are a little bit different.

I like to work in short bursts of inspiration. Let’s say I have an idea for an article. I might write the title, get a cute picture for it, then do some dishes or fold my laundry.

I might even go for a walk while my brain is trying to formulate an outline of what I want to say.

I might even loaf around on social media (gasp) for a while until I feel like I have a strong enough grasp on my topic to continue working.

My point is, I’m just the type of person that hates sitting at my desk all day and I feel like my best work is done in bursts of not more than 30–45 minutes at a time.

Setting aside 8 hours for “work” ended up being counterproductive. I would basically screw around for a large part of the time I had allotted, waiting for the chance to continue with my regular working style. In the end, Cold Turkey ended up being the opposite of helpful and altered up my sleep schedule and productivity output.

Getting Rid Of The Turkey

In the beginning, I was so convinced that this new style of working would help my productivity that I zealously put down a lock that would have been extremely difficult to overcome.

3000.freaking.words.

Towards the end of my Cold Turkey experience, I was so fed up with my laptop shutting down for hours per day that I decided to woman-up and type the entire thing. It would be better than sitting around and waiting for things to return to normal.

I typed every.single.word — all 3000 of them. It took me 15 minutes and a lazer-like focus, because a single error would invalidate my efforts.

I have a certain odd amount of pride in the fact that I only had 3 misspellings😊, but I also felt extremely foolish for putting myself in such a position in the first place.

With things back to normal, lo and behold, I had my most productive week in months!

Would I recommend Cold Turkey? Probably not. For the most part, I trust the company and it seems to be made by a benign group of individuals. On the other hand, giving an app that much control over my laptop is just not my cup of tea.

As I said earlier, certain types of people would benefit from having a chunk of time blocked off, and perhaps it really would change their lives for the better.

Personally? Naaaaah.