I'm a web developer who has worked remotely for 5 years. Here's how I lock down my technology

Working from home is a nightmare for people struggling with this kind of habit/addiction.

I started renting an office to help with this (and it did), but it was an expensive solution and wasn't comprehensive enough.

I spent years testing different methods, but most solutions are terrible. One of the best solutions used to be a program called K9 Web Protection, which ran on the kernel, but it was discontinued (there's no money in stopping degeneracy I guess). Most solutions are just way too easy to get around and aren't comprehensive enough.

It took me a while, but I eventually found effective ways to lock down all of my technology. I detail my specific setup in this video.

Locking down technology is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I honestly don't feel like I'm around heroin anymore when I sit down to code.

In my case, I realized that when I engaged in PMO, it was not usually because I was extremely motivated. I developed a habit of automatically flipping over a private browser or flipping through my phone when I was bored/procrastinating/emotionally stressed/ or I saw something that triggered the thoughts in the first place.

You use a lot of willpower throughout the day by constantly telling yourself "no" if you always have access to your addiction. This approach frees up a considerable amount of willpower for those moments when you are extremely motivated to get around any of your safeguards. Keep in mind that this is just a tool that's part of the process of breaking out of a PMO habit/addiction.

 

K9 takes me way back!

You're definitely right about the mindset. I was always on the fence about PMO - mainly just deciding to stop right after doing PMO because I felt shame. But we all know that this just results in an endless cycle. You have to have to have serious conviction and take steps that will ultimately be inconvenient.