Cutting out distractions

On his new blog Write To Done, Leo Babauta talks about how to write without distractions. I wanted to look at a couple of his points from the FOSS/Linux/Ubuntu perspective.

3. Use Writeroom. Writeroom if you’re on a Mac, or some other similar software (Writer.app is another good Mac writing program, and DarkRoom works well for the PC — I’ve used all three and love them).
bq. Basically, these programs are for writing text, and nothing else. They block out the rest of your computer with a black (or otherwise faded) background, so that you have the text … and that’s all. They aren’t chock-full of features like Microsoft Word or OpenOffice. You write in full-screen mode, with no distractions.

Since I first saw Writeroom I’ve been looking for something similar for Linux, but to no avail. Of course I can get a similar effect by switching to a virtual console and just using Vim, but that’s just not as…shiny. As you would expect there is an online alternative – Writer – but having a browser open sort of misses the point doesn’t it?

4. Shut down everything else. Got other programs running? Shut them down if possible. Not just your browser, but your mail program, RSS reader, games, graphics program, anything. Sure, if you’re using one of the minimalist writing programs mentioned above, they’ll be blocked from view, but trust me, it’s still too much of a temptation to press a few keys and switch over to another app. Shutting everything down is a smart move.

I see where he’s going with this one, but I have to say virtual desktops to the rescue. Leave the other applications open, but put them on different desktops. Couple this with turning off notifications (#7 on his list) for e-mail, IRC and IM and you’ve got a distraction free environment to work in. Notifications can be a big problem, although I didn’t realise how much of a distraction they were to me. I’ve now turned off new mail notifications, and I’m certainly noticing the difference in increased productivity.

Finally we’ve got an option that’s Linux exclusive. For all the Compiz users out there we have yet another option as well – ADD Helper. When enabled¹ you can use the super+p combination to make everything except the panels and the current window dim and transparent. Everything is still there, just not in your face and so hopefully not distracting you.

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¹ Ubuntu users you need to install the settings manager:

$ sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

You can then access it via System > Preferences > Advanced Desktop Effects Settings

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