This Sunday’s New York Times Magazine featured an interview with director and writer Nora Ephron.  Ephron, who has a new book out and is responsible for such films as When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail, was asked about her productivity techniques:

Antiprocrastination Technique: I have on my computer something called Freedom. You put in however many minutes of freedom you would want, and for that period of time your computer does not allow you to go on the Internet.

I’m so pleased that Ms. Ephron would mention Freedom, and I’m proud to add her to a list of great writers – including Dave Eggers, Nick Hornby, Peter Sagal, and Peggy Orenstein – that have mentioned Freedom in the press.

The last month has been very good, press-wise, for Freedom.  James Suroweicki’s writeup in the New Yorker Magazine, mentions in the Financial Times, on BoingBoing, the Huffington Post, the Atlantic, and on the incredible blog You Are Not So Smart have created a lot of awareness for Freedom.  Of course, awareness is great, but my favorite part of all this are the emails (and sometimes, handwritten letters!) I get from people that have finished their proposals, dissertations, and books with the help of Freedom.

And on that note – did I mention that I actually finished my dissertation a few weeks ago? (!)  You’re all invited to my defense on December 8!

Photo Credit Katharine Wolkoff/New York Times