Posts Tagged ‘Time management’

As I write this post, I currently have 9 tabs open in my browser. Do I need them all? Not really, but it seems it is always easier to open another tab than close one if I am not done with it completely. I also tend to use tabs to save webpages. Not a great practice, but I do it anyway. Having the ability to open multiple tabs is definitely a benefit, and can save time having to switch between many pages. But at what point does it become more of a time waster than a time saver?

The ability to have two or three tabs open at one time is great. You can compare products, use it to copy and paste, find out information from one site while using it for another, etc. It is much easier than having to switch between pages and requires less work by your computer. However, if you are like me, and commonly have 5+ pages open on a regular basis, then you are probably wasting more time than you are gaining.

The reason is that it takes more time to find what you want. Each time you switch tabs, you will have to search for the one you want. Not to mention that as you open more tabs, they get smaller, making it more difficult to tell what each one is. It also makes it easier to get side-tracked. You may accidentally open a tab you forgot about and start reading it, loosing track of what you were doing in the first place.

While the solution is simple (don’t open so many tabs), actually applying it is more difficult. I think you have to create a rule/habit. Make a rule that you won’t open more than 2-4 tabs at any one time. If you need to save something, then bookmark it and close the page. You will be able to work much more efficiently if you don’t have a bunch of pages to distract you.

I have closed all but two of my pages, and will try to keep it that way. Can you break the addition?

I am curious to everyone’s experience with browser tabs. How many do you keep open on average?

As I sit here writing this I am laying in the sun on Maehama beach in Miakojima, Japan. The picture above is the location just after getting out of the car. Am I sending you this from my vacation? No. Technically, I’m working.

For those who have been following this blog for a while know that I gave up my job in Tokyo, got rid of all my stuff, and moved to the beautiful island of Miyakojima to do Internet marketing. For those interested in doing something similar, check out the 4 hour work week.

Today, I actually want to talk about how important it is to get out of the office and especially, away from the computer.

Regardless of the job, it seems that most of us spend a lot of time punching away at a keyboard. It has become so common we don’t even consider working somewhere there isn’t a computer. Unfortunately, working on the computer isn’t always efficient or creative. It can also be quite distracting.

If you are using a computer, then there are a lot of distractions. It can be difficult to focus on work, when a failblog video is just a couple of clicks away. This of course is after you read through the endless unimportant email. And even when you do get to work, you switch between several tabs and projects. What is it that computers actually help us do again.

So what can you do? Get away from the computer. Turn it off. Remember what you did before you had a computer? A lot of projects we do on the computer can be done ( better and more creative) another way. This works especially well for projects that have several parts. Most projects have a part you need to think about and create. If you do that away from the computer and in a place you like it doesn’t feel like work.

Lastly, consider substitutes. Today’s smart phones can do quite a bit. If you have to be in front of a “computer” take it with you. I say this as i am typing on my Iphone. Work doesn’t seem like work if you are sitting on a beach.

And with that I think it is time to end this post. The sun is getting kind of bright.