If I had back all the time I spent on Facebook, I’d probably get an extra week or two of my life back. It’s my diversion. It’s also my time sink. When I’m on deadline, it’s my nemesis. And curses to the person who decided to tie Bejeweled Blitz to Facebook! There goes another good week of wasted time this year.
Yesterday was a nice day in that I finished the large project (so far – maybe there will be revisions) and completed a weekly project. I was able to get some things I wanted to do finished in the afternoon, which means my mother’s side of the family now has connections to both Ireland and Germany (Ancestry.com is also a nemesis where deadlines are concerned).
But it’s because of tomorrow’s surgery that I have nothing to do today. It’s pointless to start a project that I may have to drop for four or five days. Better to get some more queries out for the trip, and get some work lined up for mid/late October.
Either way, I still couldn’t shake those bad habits. One email led to three. One check of Facebook became an hourly thing. Then there was the genealogy. Oh, and putting some clothes away. And surfing.
I think if you looked at your own daily habits, you’d find similar time sinks. Here are mine:
Email. I’m better at it because Windows 7 has that cool feature where the email window doesn’t pop up expecting you to rid the screen of it. It fades in, fades out. Easier to ignore. But too often my attention is pulled away from work thanks to a note from a friend.
Facebook. Do I really need to check in there all the time? No. Once a day is enough. But it’s like this candy bar dangling. I’ve removed all Facebook notifications for my email. That spares me some of the attraction.
Phone calls. I get a lot of calls a day and maybe one or two of them are from people I know. The rest is trash. I get a lot of hang-up calls, political calls, or those surveys from people with thick accents claiming their names are something like “John” asking mundane questions. Sometimes I just hang up, but a few weeks ago I told a “John” who spoke with a Hindi accent that my name was “Debi.” When you’re straight with me, I’ll be straight with you. And I don’t know you, so I owe you nothing. But these calls – at least ten a day – drive me nuts. They pull my attention away from work. And I look up whatever numbers appear on the caller ID. More time wasted.
Blogs. I’ve had to limit my surfing to down times. Otherwise I’d be gabbing away on your blog all day. I subscribe and read when I see you have something new. And I control myself and read once a day. Well, sometimes two. Except when it’s three times. Or four.
This blog. I have to forget it’s here and just make the habit of answering once or twice, not constantly. Will I? Probably not.
What bad habits get in the way of your productivity?
14 responses to “Kicking Bad Habits”
Right now, my biggest time suck is figuring out intriguing ways to shut up/drive away the harassing "workmen" so I can actually get some work done, and, oh, I don't know, maybe live my life again.
Thinking of you tomorrow.
Sending you best wishes for the surgery tomorrow and the recuperation afterward. Take care of yourself. We want you back in one piece, please.
Blogs are my biggest weakness. I visit a ton of blogs to see what's going on. It sure can suck up a good deal of time for me.
I don't care for Facebook. I also don't care for Bejeweled Blitz. I do play some other games similar to that though. They don't hold my attention like blogs do.
Reading is another one. I get into a good part of a book and can't seem to put it down long enough to get to work. Sometimes, I'll put it down, but my mind will still be on it.
Good thoughts for your surgery, Lori, and a speedy recovery.
I'm with Wendy-it's the blogs. I try to keep to set times, but I am bad about sticking to it.
The 2nd one would be the surfing. I'm researching for a project & all of a sudden, a strange phenomenon occurs-the internet sucks me in & takes me on a bizarre ride all over cyberspace.
I feel like some character from a time machine movie. 🙁
Facebook – I have the notifications come to my phone now so I'm NOT constantly checking in, but I have to get into the habit of strolling on in 2 or 3 times a day instead of several.
Computer games – I can't get them at work and I try not to log on too often at home, so they're getting better. But when I am logged in at home, Bejewelled …
Email – I feel I have to answer/reply RIGHT NOW when really I'm sure the sender wouldn't care so long as I got back to them eventually.
Blogs – I check in once a day while I have a cuppa. If I have time, or feel strongly enough about something, I'll comment. I always, always reply individually to everyone, apart from the rare occasions where they're all saying the exact same thing so really one reply to encompass all is the sensible option.
Droppers in – I got everyone out of this habit when I worked from home, apart from maybe once a week when my mom and dad would pop over. Now I have the same thing with my office at work. Some are well trained and ask if it's ok to come over first; others just wander on in, empty cup in hand, saying "put kettle on then". I am a communicator, I have to communicate, and I often find out lots of little gems from these drop in sessions, but when I'm busy? Sheesh, I could really do without.
Good luck tomorrow.
This is why I'm glad I never got into Facebook or computer games.
Like Diane, I generally limit my blog reading to my mid-morning tea time. (My green tea with fresh ginger is almost cool enough to sip – it's taunting me as a type.)
I often get sucked into e-mail, but when I have a deadline I'm also good at ignoring any messages that aren't urgent. When new messages come in, I click over to my e-mail tab and see if it's something that can wait. Usually it can wait. (Two new e-mails came in while I was writing this, and I haven't checked them yet. Feel free to admire my restraint, LOL.)
Other than a couple of LinkedIn groups that I frequent (I pretend LI is work related), the place where I'm most likely to waste time is Ravelry – the social networking site for knitters and crocheters. I post my latest projects, check the forums, and occasionally seek out cool new patterns to add to my queue. But if a deadline is pressing, I'll intentionally avoid Rav for a a few days.
Facebook is one of my biggest time sinks. Checking Craigslist's pet section and flagging all the breeders was another until recently — I stopped checking it about a week ago.
Oddly enough, blogs have fallen by the wayside for me lately. I am trying to get back into the habit of blogging regularly, but I still haven't been as good as I used to be about checking in with my favorite blogs. This is my excuse for what I am about to ask.
What are you having surgery for, Lori? What did I miss? I hope you are okay.
Lori, I'll be praying that your surgery goes smoothly and recovery is quick.
Blogs are my biggest time suck. I have everything I'd like to read in Google Reader. The 1000+ unread blogs taunts me all the time. There just aren't enough hours in the day.
And Paula, I'd never heard of Ravelry. I love to crochet! Now I'll never get anything done!
Sorry Ashley….you're the second person I've tried to hook today. (stop groaning, that was a classic crochet pun). If you join, you can find me on Ravelry as LaReina.
Lori – good luck with the surgery. I'm sending good thoughts and lots of positive energy your way.
Best wishes regarding your surgery.
Hi Lori –
I lurk and don't usually comment, but I started using LeechBlock as a Firefox add-in. It allows me to limit FB (or Ravelry -which is also a huge time-suck for me; Paula – I'm InnerFlossie over there) to specific hours or days or time limits per day. Sends a "site blocked" message to my screen. Granted this only works with browser related time-sucks and frankly is ridiculously easy to turn off, but is a good "what the heck am I doing on FB AGAIN reminder" when I should be working.
Good luck with your surgery. – Michelle
Michelle, thank you for commenting! And the LeechBlock thing is EXACTLY what I need!
Thanks, Carole. I'm alive. 🙂
Ashley, Paula is our resident knit wit (I mean that in a GOOD way). :)) She's a prolific knitter and I enjoy the blog a lot.
Katharine, you made me chuckle. No worries – I missed you, but I'm happy for any visit! 🙂 Thyroid surgery – they removed the left side because it was enlarged. I'll know this week if I'm C-free. The doc thinks it looked healthy enough, so I may not need radiation.
Paula, I was getting a LinkedIn habit, too. I had to go cold turkey with it. When I got busy it was easy, but this month I may have to restrain myself. 🙂
Diane, I did the same thing with Facebook and the phone. The trouble is I rarely use my phone (I look at it once a day). So when I do I have a million messages to wade through. I think I need a new system. 🙂
Cathy, thank you for the note! Doing fine. 🙂 I'm a surfer, too. Those things I think "I should look that up" usually come up amid research.
Wendy, thank you. I'm back minus one piece, but I'm back. 🙂 I love a good book, too. I'm able to put them down, though, unless they're exceptional.
Devon, you have a horrible distraction there. Sending you warm thoughts and good vibes.
Lori, thanks for filling me in. :o) I'm glad the surgery went well and you may not need radiation! That's good news!
The calls from "John" in Mumbai have stopped for me, ever since I left one caller utterly gobsmacked by giving the answer "no" to the following question:
"Would you be prepared to sponsor a puppy that could save a blind person's life".
I've obviously been labelled too heartless and tightfisted to sell to, which is fine by me!