Jan 25 10
Tech Time Wasting
By: Kelly Shea
Recent College Grad/The SNP Part-Timer
I planned on skipping the New Year’s resolutions this year. I admire the ever-hopeful sentiment of resolutions, but I have never managed to truly change my ways. Caffeinated beverages and I have been inseparable since I was twelve. I regard gym memberships as a waste of money, and there is no way I would survive without white bread. These limitations aside, I do have one resolution this year: avoid tech time wasting.
Like many people, I do the majority of my work on a computer. Internet access is essential since I don’t have a PDA or i-phone to alert me to new e-mail. E-mail is where my focus wavers; next I find myself scanning three different newspapers, and even checking the status of my latest Amazon order. After this toxic cycle I naturally become discouraged by my lack of actual productivity.
I am fairly sure I am not alone here. Imagine you are working on a project that involves research, writing, editing, and perhaps making a couple of brief phone calls. In one day how many times do you stray from this project to check personal e-mail, troll news or blog sites, or update the status of your Twitter or Facebook? Be honest with yourself.
Here are some online time management strategies that this year I actually plan to stick with:
- Make an hour-by-hour to-do list. Tracking the time each task takes discourages procrastination.
- Create designated break times to do odds and ends such as responding to personal e-mails. When those ten minutes are over return to the real tasks at hand.
- Overwhelmed? Get up and grab some water. Just walk away from the screen, then return and refocus.
I am going to do myself a favor and stop wasting my own time. As a bonus I will not only be more productive, but also gain more time to do non-computer related activities. Maybe this will be the year I will color code my closet, alphabetize my bookshelves, and get eight hours of sleep a night. Well maybe not, but I will accomplish more at work and gain time for new experiences. That sounds like the kind of resolution that I can handle. Now, I should really be getting back to work.
