Need to Get Things Done? Turn Off That Computer (Or TV) and Get Moving!

I am always trying to think of ways to use my time more efficiently.  I sometimes write out a schedule for my day and what I hope to accomplish, and many times, I am coming up short.  Today I sat and thought about why I am not as productive as I could be and I came up with the answer:  my computer.

I love my computer.  Its wonderful to have easy access to anything you might want to know 24 hours a day.  But as wonderful as it is, it is also a time drain.  I realized that many times I might go on the computer to research an insignificant tidbit and next thing I know, I am checking a stock price, reading entertainment news, checking the weather, you name it.  Facebook has made it that much worse.  Fortunately, I have not started playing Farmville or else I might not ever socialize  face-to-face again.

My goal from this point forward is to designate certain times of day to do my writing, bill paying, email, etc and turn the computer off the rest of the day.  I encourage anyone reading this to do the same and see if your productivity improves.  I know that for me personally, when things get done around the house, I am an overall happier person.  When someone asks me what I did that day, I want to be able to really come up with an answer instead of thinking ‘well, I know I read a bunch of useless information that really did nothing for me’.  I need to turn off my desire to know what is happening ‘right now’ or wonder what emails are waiting for me.  All that info will be there the next day when I allow myself  to turn the computer on to take care of my daily tasks.

Hopefully soon I will be able to write a follow-up post detailing all the great things I have gotten done with all my new free time!

Tagged as: computers, get more done, how to make the most of your time, turn off the computer, using time wisely, waste of time