1. Have a clear Focus to achieve something.
One problem is that when we switch on the computer, the first thing we like to do is to browse our favourite sites - Newspapers, stumbleupon, webstats, our email e.t.c. We are spending time browsing the internet, but we are not achieving anything useful. In the back of our mind, we know we are doing nothing useful, so we cannot relax. When we achieve are doing something useful, we feel much better and more relaxed. Before opening our laptop we should try a have a clear idea of what productive thing we are going to do.
2. Don't Waste Those 15 minutes slots.
Another problem is when we only have 15 minutes; if we have only a short time span, we feel we don't have time to "do anything". Therefore, we use those 15 minutes for just browsing and checking mail. The problem is that there are quite often several 15 minute slots in the day. Either, we can try to do something productive in 15 minutes, - even if it is to just write half a blog post; alternatively, we could do something else other than use the computer.
3. Do one Thing at a Time.
With tabbed browsing it is quite possible to try and do several things at once. - Write a blog post, upload content, and be surfing other blogs. The problem is that when we do this, it is easy to get distracted and we make mistakes in doing some task. If we do one thing at a time, we can have more focus; if we are more concentrated we will makes less mistakes, and also we will get a greater sense of achievement. Trying to juggle several things is usually stressful, we should try to avoid this.
4. Switch off Internet Access.
It's hard to believe but society used to function perfectly adequately before the advent of the internet. If the internet was unavailable for a day, you might be surprised at how much you might enjoy it.
5. Check Email Once a day.
This might be a bit radical for some people. But, if you check email once a day, you will save alot of time. You can also be focused in replying to all emails. Sometimes we check email, but don't have time to respond properly. We then either forget to reply, or we rush a reply that we later regret.
6. Write Emails only when necessary.
Email can be a way to save time, but it can also create unnecessary communication. Always bear in mind the limitations of email. Words cannot convey expressions. It is easy to send a message that can be misinterpreted. If possible communicate in person or through video conferencing. It makes communication much easier and more natural.
7. Take a Break every Hour.
If we are not careful several hours can fly by, we feel tied to the computer and the unending amount of things we can do / read on the internet. If we can pull ourselves away from internet we will be able to get a wider, more detached perspective.
