Slacking at work or just plain focused?
When I scrolled through my Google Reader, the subject line, “Slacking Off at Work” jumped out at me. “Maybe it’ll tell me how to maximize every minute of your day”, I thought and quickly clicked through to open the article. It turned out that it was referencing a CareerBuilder article about finding balance despite a hectic schedule. Advice that is just as useful, perhaps more useful than squeezing out efficiencies from every minute of my day.
Here’s my self-evaluation on each of the advice given.
E-mail can wait
…designate time to check e-mails so that you don’t get distracted while doing other tasks”.
I’ve very guilty of clicking the refresh button every few minutes. The mailbox is updated every few minutes anyway, so why do I keep hitting refresh? I know, I’m always hoping someone’s sent me some information I’ve been waiting for. But think of all the energy I could save by keeping my fingers off those keys. And I always drop whatever I’m doing when I see the “new mail” icon pop up. I don’t think I can shut off my email program or turn off the alerts, but I will keep my fingers off the refresh button. Baby steps.
Don’t multitask
we end up doing a little of everything and never making much progress on any one task.
Guilty again. But I recognize this and deal with it by making lists I can check off. The need to check off an item drives me to complete one instead of having two items in progress. I do look for opportunities to multitask but being in a conference call and writing or reading another report has backfired one time too many when I didn’t realize I was being addressed during the call. Probably left the impression that I was slacking during the call…and not in a good way.
Give yourself a break.
…get away from work for five minutes…return with a clear head and produce better quality work.
I consider myself lucky that my company has an onsite gym. I always return from a visit to the gym with renewed energy, however that’s usually a 45 minute to 1 hour break. I return feeling like I’m just about to start my day. As for short walks, I’ve done that when I felt over-stressed or tired and needed to de-stress or wake up. I think I do it without thinking about it and right now, I’m not sure if I do it enough or too little.
Don’t eat lunch at your desk
…lunch in front of a computer every day, however, doesn’t give your eyes or your mind time to relax.
Unfortunately, when I take an hour to go to the gym, I do have to have lunch in front of the computer. But I already gave my eyes that hour of rest, right, so I think I’m good in this area. Of course, there are many ocassions where deadlines do not permit either a visit to the gym or lunch away from desk.
Schedule some “me” time
…block off a period of time for whatever work you need to do without interruption.
I was thinking along this line when I made Fridays my “Get Organized” day - a day to organize information I’ve collected, plan for the following week and declutter my desk. I initially blocked off my entire Friday but have since made it a half day. So far, so good.
Thinking through all these tips, I see there’s lots of room for improvement, but I think I’m not doing too badly. Getting organized at home, however needs a lot more work.
Thanks for the link. You make some great points, especially the one about checking email. I do that so much it’s ridiculous! Now I (try) and check it a couple times a day instead of every single second I get a new message!
Great link. The email part is so true, i realized i was more productive when i switched off the new mail alert sound.
I do eat lunch in front of my computer everyday though, i work through from 8am to 4pm without a break and yet i feel like i’m slacking off when i leave at 4 to pick my son!! Probably cos I’m comparing myself with colleagues who come in at 7am and don’t leave till 7pm or later!
I have to confess that I’ve fallen back into the constant email checking habit. Got to get back on track. I read somewhere that it takes a certain number of months of practicing a new habit for that habit to take effect. I can’t remember how many months it was.
You shouldn’t feel like you’re slacking, you may even be putting in more ‘effective’ work than the 7 to 7 folks. But I also feel that there’s a perception in the work place that your dedication is measured by the number of hours you spend in the office, without regard for the actual work done. That perception is dependent mostly on the culture of your workplace. I wonder how that culture can be influenced positively.