I’m nice, really I am. But there are times when I hide. I just don’t want to engage… know what I mean? As I was sitting here in my office, a friend came online and I changed my Yahoo messenger to “invisible” and shrugged off the twinge of guilt I felt. It’s not that I didn’t want to chat, because ohhhh I do. It’s not even that I didn’t like this friend, because I do. It was that I was in the middle of something and I just didn’t want to be interrupted.
Be more productive by stepping away for a while.
Have you felt this way? In this age of digital convenience, “crackberries” and instant messenging you can feel slightly overwhelmed and want to get away from it all. It’s no secret that these conveniences can make life more complicated and wreak havoc on your productivity. No fun. No fun at all. So, how can you boost your productivity using avoidance? Here’s a few tips:
- Step away from the IM: You know who you are, you are a voracious IM’er (and you just might be on my buddy list). You have a buddy list as long as your arm… not that there is anything wrong with that. But when you are on a deadline or trying to get stuff done, IM is a distraction so turn it off for a short while.
- Put your phone on silent mode. There’s this great invention we have, it’s called “voice mail”. It will be your friend and your assistant while you are getting work done.
- Your calendar is your friend. Be real about how much you can do in one day. Can you really get 37 tasks done in one day and still be sane at dinner time? Use your calendar, spread things out a bit and be sure you create some white space in there so you aren’t overwhelmed and want to hide away from the world.
- Don’t feel guilty. If you avoid people in the grocery store, use your caller ID to screen your calls or simply don’t pick up a call – you are not a bad person. You don’t have to be available 24 hours a day or 7 days a week. Save some time for yourself or you’ll be headed for disaster and then you won’t have anything to give anyone.
Now, I gotta go because I’ve got work to do!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the post! I really should follow your advice. Though sometimes it can be too hard
BTW, I’ve got a better thing than a calendar. I use a project management tool – Wrike. It helps me plan, and what’s most important, reminds me of the stuff I should do each day.
I totally agree, being “unplugged” from the world is something many of us need to experience now and then!
Happy Wednesday, Brandie!
Melissa
melissa @ the inspired room’s last blog post..Style Tips: In Defense of Wallpaper
I can totally relate to this (were you hiding from me?)!!!
I love to be connected, but only when I have time. I think that when I get the chance to sit down and process “work” my time is so limited that I need to stay focused. It’s not that I don’t want to visit, but it’s more about the productivity! Great post Brandie!
Megan @ Disorder2Order’s last blog post..100 Somethings…