Internet Interrupted: Online Productivity Lessons
May 27, 2008
Training today is about giving workers tools to find the information they need at the moment they need it most, so you may bristle at the idea that you need to teach them to limit their use of the Internet, but that's just what some recommend.
By Jeff Davidson
Much of the work you do today requires using the Web to gather information or communicate with others. Unquestionably, the Web allows us to execute both functions with greater speed and ease than ever before. But Internet access also presents a dilemma for managers and staff. Each time a person searches the Internet, he or she may be tempted to visit a few favorite sites, check the news, see what personal mail has come in, and perhaps send out a message or two to friends.
How does one function effectively in the face of this irresistible force? We're all subject to its lure. Like the call of the sirens, day and night, we know a wonderland of news, information, entertainment, colors, sounds, messages from friends, and offers from afar are ours to behold simply by getting online.
What's needed today is a new orientation toward work and the tools of technology that support us while offering the double-edged sword of endlessly tempting us to fritter away our time. Here are some suggestions:
• Keep a timer by your computer, and anytime you visit the Internet or check email beyond what is strictly necessary to execute your current task, time yourself. A minute and a half to three minutes, a few times a day, is acceptable. One long bout of ten or fifteen minutes before lunch, during lunch, or just after lunch is understandable. More than that and you're stealing from your employer.
• Schedule times each day, or establish a daily routine, when you allow yourself to visit the Internet and/or check messages for personal reasons. And then—the dicey part—stick to it.
• When you really want to get things done, and your work doesn't require visiting the Web, remove the connection if you can do so easily; work on a computer not connected to the Internet; or make a pact with yourself that for 60, 90, or 120 minutes you will not digress.
Jeff Davidson is a work-life balance expert. He is the author of "Breathing Space: Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a Sped-Up Society" and the "60 Second Procrastinator: Sixty Solid Techniques to Jump-Start Any Project and Get Your Life in Gear!" His keynote speeches and seminars include "Managing the Pace with Grace;" "Choosing When it's Confusing;" and "Managing Information and Communication Overload." To learn more, visit www.BreathingSpace.com.
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