StayFocusd helps you change bad habits–and spend more productive time on LinkedIn

Bad habits: we all have them. As you get a little older, you realize the key isn’t eliminating them entirely. It’s more a matter of finding ways to mitigate them and steal back some time and energy for things that really are worthwhile.

That’s why I love the Google Chrome plug-in StayFocusd, an app designed to limit your time on certain websites. You’ll notice I didn’t say “eliminate” time on certain websites: part of the genius of StayFocusd is that you still can give in to the occasional urge to check out Facebook photos, watch YouTube videos, or check out the latest headlines on The Onion. However, by limiting your time on those sites, you’ll do so much less often–and be more aware of how often that temptation kicks in.

Here’s the catch, though: any time you avoiding spending on one time-sucking, unproductive website can easily be reallocated to another time-sucking, unproductive website–unless you have a plan. And that’s where LinkedIn comes in.

I’ve written before about how you can use LinkedIn effectively in just 10 minutes a day. Chances are, some of you reading this post already devote that much time to LinkedIn every day–maybe even more. However, there are probably some of you who don’t, and who have been trying to find the time to make it work.

You probably see where this is going.

So here’s a simple solution: take an honest look at how you spend your time on the web (there’s an app for that, too), and then use StayFocusd to reel it in. Maybe spend 10 fewer minutes on Facebook or Twitter and commit to spending that time on LinkedIn instead. Don’t assume it will be easy at first–you may even need to put an “appointment” with LinkedIn on your daily calendar–but know it is possible. All it takes is a little discipline…and a little help from your friends at StayFocusd.