Distractions

One of my friends told me that her New Year’s resolution was to do more work at work. I will not say whom “she” is, as the consequences of that might not be so good. But can’t we all relate? We’re constantly bombarded by distractions while working. Text messages, personal emails, sale emails, chat messaging, Facebook alerts…the list goes on and on. And unless you work at a place where websites are blocked – you’re kind of screwed.

You don’t want to see what so-and-so wrote on your wall, but you just have to. You don’t mean to have more “conversations” via g-chat than you do on the telephone, but it just happens. You don’t want to see what is on sale at JCrew.com, but today is the last day of the “final sale” and you really liked that skirt in the photo they attached to your email.

I’ve given this some thought, and while in theory I could block emails from JCrew, stay signed out of g-chat, and go off of Facebook…it’s really just a silly theory, because I could never do actually do those things. I shuttered just thinking about it. If I woke up tomorrow to a world without g-chat, I might just give up. How in the hell would I communicate with my friends? Actually talk to them? No, no thank you. I don’t have time for all of that. G-chat lets me talk to four different people (or more) at once. I can even have a group discussion about NM’s bachelorette party without having to “reply all” to an email. I need g-chat. I need Facebook. I need sale emails.

I might also need some sort of group therapy session.