A productivity blog I subscribe to talked the other day about STUPID TIME.
No kidding. It’s things like jumping to Outlook every time you hear your computer chime that a new email has arrived… clicking on joke links in emails from your friends…You Tube…reading blogs (except for this one of course)…checking the stock market every 20 minutes…You Tube (yeah, I know I said it twice)…you get the idea.
It’s also when you're too tired to work strategically, but don't give yourself permission to quit. Instead of resting or doing something fun, you linger over emails, pour hours into minor matters, and just generally work in a way that's not productive or efficient. Don’t confuse “activity” with work. You are really burning STUPID TIME.
Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with STUPID TIME. Everybody should take some from time to time. Studies have repeatedly shown that taking short breaks from intense work actually can improve your productivity. It’s when those few moments turn into 45 minutes of watching all the cat videos on You Tube, or re-writing your to-do list for the fourth time today.
Your goal should be to MANAGE your stupid time. Go ahead and watch an episode of Family Guy on Hulu, but get back to work when the 22 minute episode is finished. Don’t rationalize that you should watch the NEXT episode now, and take a shorter lunch. Or better yet, get up and take a walk – outside. As my Mom used to say, “Go outside and get the stink blown off of you.” It’ll blow the stink out of your brain, too. I guarantee that your attitude toward that dull project or those follow-up calls will not only improve, but your productivity will too.
Gotta go…there is a new “hamsters for Obama” video on Funny or Die…
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made." -- Groucho Marx, American comedian