June 7, 2011
Ah, the Internet. Could there be a more usefully annoying, time-sucking, time-saver? It’s always there, ready to transport us to that crucial bit of information we need – or to distract us far away from what we need to be doing. How do you harness the power of the Internet without letting it gallop off with your valuable time?
Take the cartoon below. It took me under a minute to track it down here and determine that the author is okay with my reprinting it. So far, so fantastic. But then …
About a half-hour later, I managed to stop hitting “next” to view cartoon after cartoon. Hey (I justified), maybe these others will come in handy sometime too.
I fooled no one; the truth is, I was goofing off.
Finding balance through losing control
Effective Internet use requires us to put on our work-a-day blinders and stay on task. That said, if you’re all work and no play, you will miss some of the best content out there. To all things, balance, so allow yourself a modicum of random serendipity, clicking on cartoons, networking with colleagues, and generally meandering on whatever worldwide wanderings happen to pique your curiosity. For me, I tend to ease into the day that way. You may prefer it as a way to wind down in the evening, or as a lunchtime or coffee-time break or a Friday afternoon treat. After all, it’s a lot healthier than smoking.
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