Distractions – 74 of 90

I know, when I get home from work, that I should take some time to pick up in my room, do the laundry, make sure all the dishes are clean … you know, the “responsible” stuff.

But a lot of times — probably too much depending on who you ask — it’s straight to the things I want to do: watching TV, using the computer, talking with friends in the courtyard (which, despite the claims of the non-ESPN interns, is not as impressive as it apparently sounds).

Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with this. Obviously, too much time doing tasks you don’t want to do can be a problem:

I think the point I’m trying to make is that it’s important to maintain balance. Once in a while, you have to tell yourself that it’s time to be productive.

Along with this, it’s also important that you know which tasks are the most important and cannot be interrupted by joyous distractions. It’s not the end of the world if you stay up late watching TV one night. It is a big deal, though, if that night is preceding a paper’s due date or keeps you from begin productive at work/school.

Even while on the job, there are distractions. From this point forward, a large part of my workday will be spent in front of a computer. I’m not going to say that it’s not tempting to slack off and search the Internet in lieu of my assigned duties — I’m also not going to say that I’m 100 percent perfect either — but it’s important to remember why you’re at your job and stay focused on the task at hand.

(Amusingly, ESPN.com is dependent upon the principle of being distracted at work. Our peak usage is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday — one of these days, I would like to see an actual analytics of ESPN.com; I know it’s out there.)

So, don’t kick yourself if you’re not perfect. No one is.

Just remember to not let yourself slip when it really matters.