Mnemosyne Studylock- A tool for those with severe ADHD

[Alex .]

Hello,

I am a frequent user of Mnemosyne but I found that i would always find excuses to not study the cards. Playing games, browsing the net, whatever I was doing it usually wasn't studying.

I decided to create a program to fix this problem, and the result is Mnemosyne Study Lock. Mnemosyne Study Lock is a simple program that opens Mnemosyne and forces all other programs to minimize and then locks your mouse so you literally cannot do anything with your computer except use the enter and number keys to do flash cards on Mnemosyne for 100 seconds.

MSL is designed to be set to run every 20 or 30 minutes using the windows task scheduler.

Once MSL is running, for the next 100 seconds your computer will be completely locked in Mnemosyne and the ONLY way to get free would be to reboot or log out and back in.

The program worked so well for me that I thought it could help others with their studies as well.

Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it.

************
Instructions:
1. Place StudyLock in the same folder your Mnemosyne.exe is located. Open the desired deck in Mnemosyne, Make sure in Mnemosyne configuration Mnemosyne Auto save after every repetition is activated.  save and close Mnemosyne.  

2. Open windows Task Scheduler (start>All Programs>accessories>system tools)
and click Action>create task.  

3. name your task "StudyLock". switch to triggers tab, click new, Select "Begin the task" and set it to "At Login" check the "Delay task" and set for "30 Minutes". Check "Repeat task every:" and choose "30 minutes" "For a duration of" and choose "Indefinitely".  Check the "Enabled" box at the bottom.
switch to the actions tab and choose "new" in the box select "start a program"
and "browse", find your mnemosyne folder and select StudyLock.exe that you placed in there.   Click OK at the bottom of the box to create the task.
Log off your computer and Log back in. The task is now activated.

4. You have now installed StudyLock and set it to run every 30 minutes after login. You may delete the task or StudyLock.exe at any time.
You must study with enter and number keys. You cannot use the mouse to study

******************

FAQ:
1. Will this hurt my computer or my deck?
A: It does not change any computer settings and does not do anything to Mnemosyne except open and close it.  Make sure you set Mnemosyne autosave so your study progress is saved.

2. How do I stop it in an emergency?
A: Obviously you would just make whenever you are too lazy to study an "emergency" So you cant.  You can log off or reboot, but thats more of a pain than studying for 100 seconds

3. Can I set it to run every 5 minutes instead?
A: Sure, how often it is run has no effect on StudyLock and it will work with any frequency or you can click the StudyLock.exe to run it yourself.

4. It won't run.
A: You need to log out and log in to trigger the repeating task. Also check to make sure you have the "Enabled" box checked on the task and that the time and program is right. Press "Run Now" in the task scheduler to test the task immediately.

5. Why Did my study time reset?
A: Attempting to close or minimize mnemosyne will cause the program to reset your time back to 100 seconds. Stop it!

6. How do I Uninstall it?
A: Delete StudyLock.exe and delete the task you created in the task scheduler

Licence and Warning:
Use this file however you want. 
I have been using it without problems for a while now and this program should not do anything to hurt your computer or Mnemosyne deck But I accept no responsibility if it does. Use at your own risk.

Download:

(Important: Because of how this file locks your mouse and window to force studying, it can be flagged as a virus so an exception should be made in your antivirus settings)
http://www.filedropper.com/studylock

[Peter Bienstman]

Thanks! Feel free to upload this to the scripts section of our website.

Peter

[Alex .]

You Are welcome. How can i edit the original post? I have created an updated version

[Alex .]

http://www.filedropper.com/studylock_2

Here is a new version which fixes a problem where it couldnt find your mnemosyne exe..

For now this only works on desktop installations of mnemosyne

[Gnome]

Hi,

plugins can be uploaded to the mnemosyne website.

If you can't find it, heres an direct link:

http://mnemosyne-proj.org/node/add/plugin

[Alex .]

Hey, 

I would like to upload it to the website but I want to make sure it is working properly first so I am developing it still now. I have a new version.

Version 0.9:

This version adds some new features:

-Complete redesign of the code for efficient and smooth transitions into and out of study

-Random User presence test:

             Now a test will occur at random times during the study lock in which the user will have 10 seconds to follow an instruction on the console or receive a time penalty of 100 seconds.

             This is to ensure that the user does not use the study time to go to the bathroom or get a snack.  There could be multiple tests during a study session. 

-redesign of penalty handling to ensure that there are not excessive penalties if the user is not present for the study lock. 

-Added improved handling for when the user is already using mnemosyne when the study lock begins and for mnemosyne child windows.

Bug Fixes:

1. Fixed a bug where the user could escape the study lock by pressing alt + F4 very rapidly. 

2. Fixed a bug where the user could take advantage of the "penalty incurred" screen to escape the lock.

3. Fixed a bug where the user could quickly open task manager after the console opens but before mnemosyne completely loads.

4. Fixed several rare instances where the program would get stuck and require restarting the computer.

5. Multiple fixes to reduce Mnemosyne and the console window flashing opening and closed during loading and when the user attempts to manipulate the window to escape the lock. 

Known Issues:

1. Some users have reported problems where the program cannot find their mnemosyne.exe or cannot fully lock the desktop. (please make sure to run the program as administrator)

2. There is still some flashing windows at different times during the lock. This is caused by the program attempting to ensure that the mnemosyne window is on top and all other windows except the console are minimized. 

3. Some anti-virus programs are blocking it. Make sure to add an exception. 

Version 0.9 Download:

http://s000.tinyupload.com/download.php?file_id=88218187246177144065&t=8821818724617714406516090

[Oisín]

On 10 March 2014 07:44, Alex . <alexf...@gmail.com> wrote:

-Random User presence test:

             Now a test will occur at random times during the study lock in which the user will have 10 seconds to follow an instruction on the console or receive a time penalty of 100 seconds.

             This is to ensure that the user does not use the study time to go to the bathroom or get a snack.  There could be multiple tests during a study session. 

Would it be easier to just check whether the user is idle (i.e. no input to keyboard or mouse for more than 15 seconds) and if so, pause the clock until they come back?

[Alex .]

the point of the test is to repeatedly punish users with extra time until they learn that the already reasonable 100 second/30 minutes of study time is not the bathroom break but actual study time. 

this program is for the worst of the worst as far as procrastinators and non-studiers.  

If you have tried the program however and have something that would work better for you personally i would be happy to get you a custom tailored version. 

Is it working properly for you btw? I have not had a very good success rate as far as this program working on other computers. Im still not sure why. 

[Oisín]

On 11 March 2014 12:44, Alex . <alexf...@gmail.com> wrote:

the point of the test is to repeatedly punish users with extra time until they learn that the already reasonable 100 second/30 minutes of study time is not the bathroom break but actual study time. 

this program is for the worst of the worst as far as procrastinators and non-studiers.  

Ok, I see. I'm not sure that "punishing" disobedient users is the most productive thing for them though.
From what I've heard, positive reinforcement is generally much more successful than punitive actions. Particularly in those with ADHD.

So the function of your program as an aid (in that it helps users to do their study by stopping them from interacting with other programs during that time) -- rather than as a punitive whip for noncompliant users -- is more interesting to me.

If you have tried the program however and have something that would work better for you personally i would be happy to get you a custom tailored version. 

Is it working properly for you btw? I have not had a very good success rate as far as this program working on other computers. Im still not sure why. 

I've not tested it yet, but will try when I get home later.

all the best,
Oisín
 

On Monday, March 10, 2014 8:03:23 PM UTC+9, Oisín Mac Fhearaí wrote:

On 10 March 2014 07:44, Alex . <alexf...@gmail.com> wrote:

-Random User presence test:

             Now a test will occur at random times during the study lock in which the user will have 10 seconds to follow an instruction on the console or receive a time penalty of 100 seconds.

             This is to ensure that the user does not use the study time to go to the bathroom or get a snack.  There could be multiple tests during a study session. 

Would it be easier to just check whether the user is idle (i.e. no input to keyboard or mouse for more than 15 seconds) and if so, pause the clock until they come back?

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[Taz]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for sharing the program. It is brilliant.
I have ADHD myself and this will help a lot.

[danhag...@gmail.com]

Hi Alex - all of these download links have expired. Would be keen to try your plugin if it's still available. Thanks for your time. :)

[Sven AERTS]

Do you make users aware of the underlying cause of this phenomenon?

Explaining an underlying cause may take away the cause=problem.

The situation you describe: you have to do something, but actually you don't want to/resist, and you run away doing something else.

It seems your different intelligence regions, signal there is a "threat": a system is obliging us to do things that might harm us, so we better run away iso facing and dealing with the issue ... because the issue comes with a whole system backing it up and we better avoid fighting it and we don't want to join it or are not allowed to join it, so you run.

So, you have to make peace inside yourself: you have to make all your intelligence regions make peace one with another.  You might want to consider making a personal piece of art that shows how whatever you have to do is part of a larger puzzle to get you where you all DO want to get.  Once you have all your intelligence regions on one line, you'll be less distracted, or get this "run and flee" reaction, because you and all your intelligence regions will actually agree that, whatever you have to do, is exactly what you have to do and want to do because it will get you where you actually want to be in the most efficient way.