Posted by Luke in Even the most productive workers are vulnerable to time sucks when certain triggers interrupt their day. One of the most popular of these triggers is the Internet, and social media sites, e-mail and blogs become addicting fast. But the key to maximizing the time you spend at work is to learn how to defend yourself against those traps and use the Internet in a more constructive way. First you’ll need to identify the websites that tempt you the most every day. By becoming more disciplined, you’ll be able to balance out the distractions along with your list of things you need to finish up before heading home. Keep reading for some popular ways that the Internet sabotages your workday, and what you can do to defend yourself.
• Social media sites: Now that social media sites are for business networking as well as connecting with friends, they’re not always blocked on work computers and may even be encouraged. But logging on can also result in hours of procrastination as you click through pictures and update your own profile. To strike a balance, limit yourself to visiting only one social media site while you’re at work, and make sure it’s an account that you use for professional networking only. Set a timer or only log on during lunch to keep your Internet use to a minimum.
• E-mail: Set up a separate work account than your personal account for organization’s sake and to keep yourself focused on work. Don’t subscribe to any shopping alerts or RSS feeds on your work account, either. If you’re still addicted to checking for new messages every few minutes, close your e-mail and only check it every hour or half hour. Many e-mail servers allow you to set up alerts whenever you receive an e-mail from a specified person, so you can still stick to your schedule and not have to worry about missing something important.
• Blogs and websites: We all have our list of daily must-reads, from celebrity gossip sites to techie blogs. If you can, check these sites from your BlackBerry or iPhone on your way to work or during lunch. Consider them extra reading material. You wouldn’t open up your copy of your favorite John Grisham instead of prepping for a meeting, would you? Just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s not separating you from what you should be doing.
*This post was contributed by Megan Jones, who writes about the online college degree. She welcomes your feedback at Meg.Jones0310 at gmail.com
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A post full of unconventional wisdom, to be read,comprehended and creatively utilized. I
must admit for myself, that unfortunately I lost most of my precious life time by living
in Bulgaria. So although I appreciate everything written in the post, I can’t be a
trustworthy example of how not to sabotage my
work day, what to do about it ,etc. Otherwise
I will do my best to stay on focus and not
read John Grisham, even if on the net. But at least I will try to be efficient. I promise.