How to Battle The Internet Meanderings?
We’ve all done this at least once in our online business endeavors. Don’t try to deny it, you know it’s happened to you too. You get to the computer and just know you're going to do a bunch of work. Then it happens…nothing.
It begins by checking your Google Adsense stats. Next, you wander over to this forum and that one and take a look at your favorite blogs. It all started innocently enough, but before you know it, you're checking your Google Adsense stats again, end up back at those darned forums and double check to see if any of you favorite bloggers posted anything new.
It's a vicious cycle and I'm not going to act all high and mighty and pretend it doesn't happen to me. It happens frequently, but over the years I've come to recognize this ridiculous behavior and curb it.
I say it's ridiculous because not only is it unproductive, it's counter-productive. It drains you of energy, makes you feel like you've been working all day...when in reality...you've done NIL.
There are three simple things I do to combat this problem:
- Shut the stupid computer off and step away. If I'm going to waste my time wandering...I may as well be hanging out with my kids. If it's late at night, surely my time would be better spent vegging out in front of the TV. At least that's more relaxing.
- Have a to-do list. I hate schedules. I really do. I've resisted them throughout my online career, but I came to realize without set goals each and every day, I fall into meandering mode.
- Only add things I want to do or can easily complete on my to-do list. Everything else gets outsourced. Including daunting tasks, that I don’t enjoy, on my list only increases the chances that it won’t get done. I tend to goof off to avoid them. I'd rather assign those tasks to someone else, so I can concentrate on stuff I like to do.
How do you deal with Internet meanderings?
It begins by checking your Google Adsense stats. Next, you wander over to this forum and that one and take a look at your favorite blogs. It all started innocently enough, but before you know it, you're checking your Google Adsense stats again, end up back at those darned forums and double check to see if any of you favorite bloggers posted anything new.
It's a vicious cycle and I'm not going to act all high and mighty and pretend it doesn't happen to me. It happens frequently, but over the years I've come to recognize this ridiculous behavior and curb it.
I say it's ridiculous because not only is it unproductive, it's counter-productive. It drains you of energy, makes you feel like you've been working all day...when in reality...you've done NIL.
There are three simple things I do to combat this problem:
- Shut the stupid computer off and step away. If I'm going to waste my time wandering...I may as well be hanging out with my kids. If it's late at night, surely my time would be better spent vegging out in front of the TV. At least that's more relaxing.
- Have a to-do list. I hate schedules. I really do. I've resisted them throughout my online career, but I came to realize without set goals each and every day, I fall into meandering mode.
- Only add things I want to do or can easily complete on my to-do list. Everything else gets outsourced. Including daunting tasks, that I don’t enjoy, on my list only increases the chances that it won’t get done. I tend to goof off to avoid them. I'd rather assign those tasks to someone else, so I can concentrate on stuff I like to do.
How do you deal with Internet meanderings?
8 Comments:
I'm with you on the to do list, it's a great feeling when you tick them off ! if it's something i need to do on the computer but can do most of it without being online such as write an article or tweak a website then I plug out the broadband so as not to be tempted either by emails that arrive when I'm working or as you said checking adsense and this forum and that forum !
You just described my week (I've been unusually unproductive this week).
Anyway, here's how I'm handling my meanderings this week:
1. Review and rewrite to-do list in the am.
2. Review major goals - will the items on my to-do list help me achieve these goals?
3. If I'm still having trouble getting productive work done, I set a timer for 15 minutes and force myself to work on a billable project for that time.
These habits usually help, but like I said, this week has been a struggle.
Although I do it at other times too, I've come to realize that my meanderings are my way of procrastinating. I'm most likely to wander around the Internet when I'm faced with a task that I don't know how to tackle. If I'm having trouble with a technical issue or faced with writer's block when I need content, you'll find me aimlessly reading message boards or searching eBay for nothing in particular.
If it's during the day the most effective way I can break out is by going for a walk. That usually helps clear my head.
At night, I turn to TV which usually puts me to sleep... then I can start fresh in the morning.
Great post! One thing I do is to have a clear purpose when I go online... don't just boot up without knowing just what I set out to do. Then I leave my email program OFF until I'm done. Email comes after income generating activities. Ditto for my feed reader. :)
I find it's especially difficult when you work at home to avoid getting distracted. I'm finding ConsultantJournal.com to be a helpful way to see if you're "the right fit" for this kind of atmosphere. I agree with kamckinley: lists help SO much.
Hey Alice, have you been spying on me!? ;-)
I have been guilty of wasting a lot of time, in exactly the ways you describe.
Sometimes when I'm browsing forums and blogs, I do get inspiration and/or posts to blog about/link to... so that's how I justify it to myself.
But I agree this should only be done when it's a dedicated task on my "To Do" list. I use lists of tasks, numbered in priority order with deadlines, to stay organized and productive. Sometimes it even works! :-)
The most effective method I've found for getting important things done ON TIME is to TELL someone what I'm working on and when I'll have it done. (Deadlines I set for myself are just too easy to ignore.)
Great post, by the way... which I found while wasting time. ;-)
Thanks, Alice!
Bonnie
Oh I think this is exactly what I was doing when I wandered over to your blog, LOL! Which I am glad I did, at least now I know I am not the only one :)!
Your tips are great, I will definately have to put them to good use! Thanks so much!
Wow, you hit the nail on the head. Even though I set a schedule to limit the meanderings, I still find myself doing it. Many times I find myself wasting time reading things that have absolutely no meaning to me. I have to stop and ask myself, "Now, would you be doing this if you were still in corporate America?" I don't think so. I need to treat my own business with the same dedication that I treated someone else's.
Thanks for all your great advice!
Julie
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