Your Internet use at work can become a problem if you’re spending too much time online and not enough time on your job. It can be easy to fall into the trap of going online for a legitimate reason, only to be seduced by a bunch of clickable links.
Before you know it, you’re racing the clock, to get your work done and your performance starts to suffer. In this episode of our weekly productivity series, you’ll learn some easy tips for your Internet use at work and ways to cut yourself off, if you’re online surfing time is getting too high.
What Productivity Questions Does This Video Answer?
- How to use the Internet at work?
- Can your Internet use at work get you in trouble?
- How to make sure you don’t spend too much time online at work?
- Does too much time spent on the Internet at work hurt your career?
Video Transcript for Your Internet Use at Work
Does the Internet hurt your productivity at work? I know it’s happened to you. You go online, legitimate reason, you want to look up something, check on something, and then you get seduced.
To click on a link to go somewhere else and you think, “Oh I could check news, I should check the sports story that I’m interested in. And before long, you’ve lost a lot of productive time. You’re online, you started with good intentions, but you kind of lost track of it all.
This is the challenge with working with the Internet. The Internet is a wonderful tool but you need to think of it as a tool. Something that you can use but something that you shouldn’t be using all the time. Like a drill. A drill does certain things well but you shouldn’t be walking around with a drill all day long.
Another way I think about it is a faucet. A faucet works really well but you don’t leave a faucet running all the time. So if you go online to check something out, thank of it as you’re getting a drink of water. Once you’ve filled the glass up, turn off the faucet.
Sometimes it can be good to think, “What would I be doing if the boss was standing right over my shoulder?” Would you be going to a site to check out the latest news, or shoes, or something else?
Maybe but maybe not. If you’re nervous about having the boss see you doing it, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.
Final thing I want to ask you, are you surfing the net a lot because you’re bored with your job? This can happen to a lot of people across the country.
I understand you made me super good at your job, you may be able to get done very quickly, and have time to surf the net but maybe it’s time to look for a different position with more responsibilities. Make sure you’re engaged in the job. I think most people would rather have a better job that they like, that might pay you more, than to have unlimited time to surf the Internet.
About This Video Series
Ken Okel’s ongoing Employee Productivity video series will make you more effective on the job. Every week, you’ll learn a new, easy to understand, problem solving tip that you can use right away, like your Internet use at work.
Tired of a productivity problem, like why the details matter at work? Let us know and we’ll feature it in an upcoming episode.
About Ken Okel
As a motivational speaker, Ken Okel works with leaders and organizations to boost productivity, performance, and profits. At conferences, conventions, and company meetings, he engages audiences with new ways to maximize their time at work. To see a sample of his keynote and workshop presentations, visit his video page.
