You May Need This Download

It’s the stuff of legends but I’ve heard this story often enough that I believe it. I didn’t witness it firsthand but I’ve verified it several different times with different people.

Once an editor was consumed with solitaire. Yes, I’m talking about the little, free game which comes with your computer.  In the open office environment, almost every time someone came into this editor’s office, solitaire was on the screen. I doubt this editor knew the impression he was leaving on the various visitors to his office. He is no longer with this publisher and has moved on—but it’s still a good story about how these free games can consume your time and energy.

During different seasons of my writing life, I’ve been consumed with some of these free games. It begins in an innocent fashion then suddenly consumes hours of time which you could have been writing or something else much more productive. Just so you know I’m not playing anything at the moment but spending long hours on work-related projects.

This week Newsweek ran a short article about a free download called Temptation Blocker. B. Adam Howell wanted a program where he could block certain programs for a particular season or period of time. Then he could get the work done that needed to get done.  When the time limit ran out, he could begin playing the game again.  I told my wife about this free program and she declared it ridiculous. Yes, some of us need a bit of help in this area. Maybe you are one of those people so I wanted you to know about this free download. It might help you get a bit more done.