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IT Technology

PC Users Fight Distractions to Work 347

Posted by Zonk from the would-you-like-some-toast? dept.
prostoalex writes "When someone buys a computer, they expect noticeable increases in productivity and ability to perform routine tasks more efficiently. At least that's what the commercials say. The New York Times talks about the dire reality: software applications do an excellent job of distracting us from doing the tasks. An e-mail notification here, an application popup there, a sound effect telling you the download has been completed and a popup window asking whether you would like to download the latest updates. Much of this distraction is self-enforced, such as taking a break from work to check the weather forecast, read the news headlines, or yet again check the e-mail inbox. NYT talks about various ways people are fighting distractions and points to some cognitive technology research done at Microsoft."
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PC Users Fight Distractions to Work More

PC Users Fight Distractions to Work

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  • The worst one (Score:4, Funny)

    by Inkieminstrel ( 812132 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:14PM (#11634204) Homepage
    The worst one for me is this little app called "Firefox"

    • The antidesktop (Score:5, Interesting)

      by PepsiProgrammer ( 545828 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:18PM (#11634253)
      The Antidesktop [freshmeat.net]

      This is why I use ratpoison+screen, that and because keyboard input is much faster and more efficient than the rodent.

      This is also why I stopped using multiple monitors, just too distracting and not a huge benefit.

    • Re:The worst one (Score:5, Funny)

      by Frymaster ( 171343 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:22PM (#11634301) Homepage Journal
      The worst one for me is this little app called "Firefox"

      the worst work distraction for me is a little site called... slashdot.

      note: i'm at work right now :)

    • Re:The worst one (Score:5, Informative)

      by SteveX ( 5640 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:45PM (#11634588) Homepage
      I had this bad habit of checking a bunch of websites constantly.. so a few years ago I set up a little bookmark site that I use as my homepage.

      http://www.stevex.org/linky [stevex.org]

      What's just slightly unique about it (or was in 1999) is it lets you specify a timeout for sites you add, and sites whose timeout has expired are shown in bold.

      So when I bring up Firefox, I right-click on the links that are bold (to open them all in tabs), read 'em, and I'm back to work. The various timeouts mean I spend less time looking at sites that I just looked at 5 minutes ago.. (yes, I used to do that. And you probably do too, don't you?)
    • THe worst one for me is having Slashdot as my home page. In fact right now end users are sufferign because I'm taking the time to reply to this.

  • more distractions? (Score:5, Funny)

    by ack154 ( 591432 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:15PM (#11634205)
    So now I have one distraction providing an article about other distractions?!

  • hmmm (Score:5, Funny)

    by cheese_wallet ( 88279 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:15PM (#11634209) Journal
    is there something ironic about me reading this article while I am at work?

    • How I appear busy at work (Score:5, Funny)

      by bonch ( 38532 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:42PM (#11634555)
      How I appear busy at work while fulfilling myself with my "distractions":

      1.) Keep a floating command prompt open running netstat. It makes it look busy and important.

      2.) Once in a while, ping 127.0.0.1. This makes me look like I'm typing something really important and examining very important output.

      3.) Fire up a new browser window that opens the company website, then randomly click shit with an intense frown on your face as though looking for something important.

      4.) Keep random sticky notes and papers sprawled around your keyboard, and randomly look over at them as though for reference. This is particularly useful when typing messageboard posts where people can hear your keyboard clacking away. You're not slacking; you're doing something important. You have scattered papers you keep looking at!

      5.) Keep a spindle for your paper messages. Collect them on this spindle and situate it beside your monitor for a quick and easy "busily cluttered" look to your desk that makes you look slightly more busy.

      6.) Have an old keyboard or other computer peripherals lying around at home? Bring them to the office and place them out of the way but in visible sight around your office/cubicle computer. Various important-looking computer parts, like an old non-functioning printer or a second keyboard "connected" to nothing, make you look like you're doing lots of crazy and important computer shit. For an added bonus, occasionally move your chair over and start clacking away on the non-functioning keyboard while looking at your monitor. Do an intense frown, say "hmm" importantly, and move back to your real keyboard and browse Slashdot some more.

      7.) Try walking around a lot in a hurry. This makes you look busy and determined. The best strategy is to go the bathroom a lot and just pace for a minute inside. My strategy is to go to the water cooler a lot. Not only does this saturate me, but I'm seen moving all over the office busily and importantly when really I'm just taking a mental break at the water cooler and fantasizing about a life that doesn't so closely resemble Hell.

      I have more tips, and I'm sure you do, so let's share.

      • Re:How I appear busy at work (Score:4, Funny)

        by marshall_j ( 643520 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @05:05PM (#11634818) Homepage
        *longs for the days of boss keys in games*
      • Sound like just doing the work-thing is less of a hassle.

      • Re:How I appear busy at work (Score:5, Funny)

        by mattOzan ( 165392 ) <vispuslo@ m a t t o zan.net> on Thursday February 10, 2005 @05:12PM (#11634897) Journal
        7.) Try walking around a lot in a hurry. This makes you look busy and determined.

        And when you do this, always have a sheaf of papers in your hand! Makes you look at least 100% busier.

        I haven't always worked in an office, though. I used to work for the U.S. Forest Service. Here's a tip for looking busy when working outdoors:

        Even though you are just standing around talking with your buddies, whenever a public comes along the key is just to
        point at something. Point in the direction of that thing over there, then sweep your arm over to point at something else, then make some gestures about the area in between the points.

        Works like a charm! Passersby think their tax money is being well-spent, what with all the vigorous gestulating going on over there! "Obviously an important new system for some high priority item is being expertly planned by efficient professionals..."

      • A trick I learned several years ago was when you feel like going on a walk-about, always carry a clipboard with you. No one ever stops someone carrying a clipboard.


        7.) Try walking around a lot in a hurry. This makes you look busy and determined. The best strategy is to go the bathroom a lot and just pace for a minute inside. My strategy is to go to the water cooler a lot. Not only does this saturate me, but I'm seen moving all over the office busily and importantly when really I'm just taking a mental b

      • Re:How I appear busy at work (Score:5, Funny)

        by Nefarious Wheel ( 628136 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @05:24PM (#11635030) Journal
        Bonch, you're fired.
      • In addition to those fine 7 points, I'd add that to sucessfully web browse (or whatever) while doing those tricks you should keep Firefox un-Maximized, with whatever important-seeming app a mere task-switch, or quick mouse click away. Failing that, remember in Windows you can quickly minimize any app (Firefox, IE if so unfortunate) with a quick ALT+SPACE+N. Practice it. Get good with it. You'll be able to minimize that browser without the tell-tale mouse "wrist jerk and click" that people can see as they
        • 'windows key'-D is fewer keys (and avoids that noisy spacebar...) other helpful 'windows key' key combo's include: -E (explorer window) -M (similar to -D but -D is more of a toggle-able thing...) wait.. someone's coming! Gotta go!
        • One tip for Opera users is using mouse gestures. If you have some legitimate page to browse, or at least a legitimate looking page, keep it in the background, and when someone approaches, hold down the right mouse button and roll the scroll wheel down one notch.

          This will bring the legitimate looking page to the front without the ctrl-tab twitch. You will probably have your hand on the mouse anyway if you're browsing the web, so the gesture will be practically unnoticeable.

          Or, you could close the tab. Gest
        • Windows key - m
      • Can't tell if this should be rated "Funny" or "Informational"

        I suggest use of Firefox's tabbed browsing as well as a healthy dose of terminals with current code sitting idle (hey you may get some work done by mistake).
      • lynks

        nobody goofs off in a text-only environment

        yup

      • The easiest way to appear busy or like you're on an important mission is to carry around a clipboard and /or tablet PC, and keep reffering to it while walking around aimlessly (random computer equipment, like keyboards, also works). This works anywhere. When my friends and I were in high school and into fun habits like borrowing signs, there was this small barricade at a fair that one of my friends wanted, so he got a hard-hat (one his dad had laying around) and a clip board, went to the fair, walked up to

    • Re:hmmm (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Kalan ( 853285 )
      No I don't really think so, in fact I belive it just proves the point of the article more. Dictionary.com defines irony as such irony Audio pronunciation of "irony" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r-n, r-) n. pl. ironies 1. 1. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. 2. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning. 3. A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous

  • Willpower? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by agent dero ( 680753 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:16PM (#11634228) Homepage
    I've noticed the same thing, but I turned the distractions off, the little sounds, the popups, the notifications.

    Some people can focus in a crowded busy lecture hall, some people can't even focus alone in their rooms.
    People are as focussed as they want to be it seems, take this with a grain of salt, given that it's the middle of the work day, and i'm posting on slashdot..... ;)

    • Re:Willpower? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Achoi77 ( 669484 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:37PM (#11634484)
      Heh, I would say it's the distractions at work that keep me productive without going insane. Removing the distractions thru forcable means by either management babysitting you or other oppressive methods just hurts company morale. It also gives me my 'fix', so that I don't have the 'feel like the browsing for the next /. article' on the brain all day. Plus, now that I am satiated whenever I feel, I am fully capable of grinding out work for very long periods of time (weeks at a time) without feeling any 'withdrawl' symptoms if the situations needs be. After all, I DO want to do a good job.

      My manager is pretty cool. He pretty much lets me do what I want, AS LONG as I get my stuff done. And I always get my stuff done. Sure, sometimes a few mistakes slip by, but of course management is there to bitch me out, to which I always respond with, "Hrm, maybe I should control my distracting habits a bit." Management thru self government works for everybody.

    • Re:Willpower? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by TrippTDF ( 513419 )
      That's like saying a coke addict can quit with willpower. I fully admit that I have a computer addiciton problem. No amount of "willpower" is going to get me away from the computer. Posting on /., sending short emails to 20 different people constantly throughout the day and checking (but never buy) products from different websites gives me that little "jolt" of happiness every couple of minutes to get me through the day.

      My attention span has gotten to the point that I can't watch a half hour TV show

  • Hmmm... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:16PM (#11634232)
    Well, If this isn't preaching to the choir...

    • Re:Hmmm... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Bender Unit 22 ( 216955 )
      Yeah, you're right you know, I...
      [hang on just got a mail] ... Well actually, I quickly disabled the email notification popup when I started the job I have now.
      I get around 50 mails every day of which only 20 of them, I need to read. I just could not see how my collegues can live with having a email window popping up and forcing you to click "OK" so you can get back to what you were doing 50 times during the day. And some of them even gets three times as many mails. (most of it spam)
      • i use kmail, its set to not distract me, but i can glance at the system tray and see if there's number there (how many unread emails) plus i can set it to ignore emails for that figure from certain filters, so kde mailing list doesn't make me think i have new email, for example.

  • problem with assumption (Score:3, Insightful)

    by hajmola ( 82709 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:16PM (#11634233)
    When someone buys a computer, they expect noticeable increases in productivity and ability to perform routine tasks more efficiently.

    Really? I don't think so...

    • I'd have to agree with the fact people want to increase productivity when they buy a new pc. Working at a rather large ISP I get calls all the time from people who've purchased a new pc due to the slowness of the other and within a few weeks the new machine is running like garbage because of spyware etc that they want me to fix. Ad-aware/Spy-bot anyone?

  • any chance (Score:3, Funny)

    by justforaday ( 560408 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:17PM (#11634237)
    Any chance that MS will actually pay any attention to the research being done there in this field? I highly doubt it...
    • You'd be surprised how many things that come out of Microsoft Research [microsoft.com] make their way into products. The technology behind the MSN desktop search for instance... was in development for a number of years prior to the Google desktop search.

      Did you know Microsoft even has a few MD (yes, Medical Doctors) who are using advanced computer modeling in HIV research. You can find an talk with one of those MD's from Channel 9 [msdn.com].
    • Well they might start doing something about it, but they'll probably get distracted.
    • Any chance that MS will actually pay any attention to the research being done there in this field?

      Maybe they should kill off Clippy, that damned cat, and the others of their ilk. How distracting are they?

      SiO2
      • Or maybe the "pop-up balloon" in WinXP that keeps telling me whenever a wireless network is in range and whenever an interface goes up/down. I've got two wireless cards, an ethernet card, two coLinux "Tap" interfaces, and a bridge. They *drive me nuts*.

        I don't friggin care! Stop bugging me!

  • Web (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Black Cardinal ( 19996 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:17PM (#11634242) Homepage
    I'd say the biggest distraction is access to the Web.

    For example, posting on Slashdot.
    • Indeed. The Web lets you find out information about anything, shop for just about anything, communicate with millions of others from all around the world, and access just about any kind of entertainment you want. But no - you can't spend all day on it, you have to work instead.

      Is it me, or is that a bit of a torturous decision to make?

  • Attention deficit disorder? (Score:5, Funny)

    by `Sean ( 15328 ) <sean@ubuntu.com> on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:18PM (#11634250) Homepage Journal

    I had an incredibly witty thought that I wanted to share with the rest of the world, so I launched ecto [kung-foo.tv], my blog client. An update was available, so I downloaded and installed it. That reminded me that I hadn't run versiontracker pro [techtracker.com] for a while, so I proceeded to launch that. Of course, an update to the software I use to check for updates with was available, so I downloaded and installed the update. Then Acrobat, BitTorrent, LimeWire, Poisoned, etc. While everything was downloading, I checked on the make install status of glibc on my Pepper Pad [pepper.com]. Halfway done.

    Why the heck was ecto open again?

    • Most of the people in my office don't have that problem; they don't have admin rights on their machine... I on the other hand have admin rights on all 10 machines :(
    • Somewhat true story:

      I fire up the machine and Evolution to check my e-mail. I get mail from someone asking me to alter some content on their site. They send me an image. From within KDE, I fire up Quanta and open up their project. Image needs cropping. I fire up GIMP and grumble that I don't have the same look/feel. Firefox over to GNOME themes sites to see if I can find something similar. Download something, install the RPM or whatever, and find a way to alter GNOME look and feel from within KDE.

  • Fight the Distractions! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Necroman ( 61604 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:18PM (#11634252)
    I'd have to agree that all those little popups that you get from different applications are really a bother; you get side tracked from what you are doing, and then getting back to what you were doing takes a minute or 2, or longer depending on what you were doing. This time tends to add up quickly.

    I make it a point, with any program that has popup or notifications of any kind, I do my best to turn them off. Like Outlook 2000. It has a sound beep and an Icon that appears in the systray when you get new mail. Well, disable the sounds, and set Windows to always hide that new email icon (You can't turn off the notification in Outlook 2000, but you can in 2003).

    The information the provide is nice, but I'm busy right now, get back to me when I'm not trying to figure out why this code is seg faulting 56 hours into a a 72 hour test.

  • Exactly... (Score:2, Funny)

    by inertia187 ( 156602 ) *
    Mac users, however, appear to be afflicted with amusing juxtapositions of the aforementioned situation.

  • uh-oh (Score:3, Funny)

    by macshune ( 628296 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:19PM (#11634272) Journal
    "...cognitive technology research done at Microsoft."

    Anybody want to BSOD their neurons? Or have Clippy be like, "hello. you would like to create a new memory. let me help you create a new memory. please, select a memory template from the available options:"

    1. Good memory
    2. Bad memory
    3. Romantic memory
    [next poster insert memory option here]

  • Dear Slashdot (Score:2, Funny)

    by Letter ( 634816 )
    Dear Slashdot,

    I haven't had any trouble with distractions since instal-- hey, hang one sec, I got an IM...

    Letter

  • How it all went wrong with me (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:21PM (#11634288)
    Was when I changed every audio program event on my system to play the original Star Trek red alert klaxon. I have been on state assistance ever since.

  • The solution is (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane ( 209368 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:22PM (#11634302)
    Custom-build the worker's PC to have only apps that the job requires.

    Back when I was in the army, in the computer department, everything was removed but the programming language and the simulator we were working on. And when I say everything, that included things like defrag and scandisk, that people used to use all day long to pretend they had time to go get a cuppa and slack off. Similarly, the secretary only had Office, and email was internal-only for everybody
    • that included things like defrag and scandisk, that people used to use all day long to pretend they had time to go get a cuppa and slack off.

      Damn! Trick #58 exposed. Next thing you know they won't let me reboot when the machine acts odd.

  • Man vs. Machine (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ClubStew ( 113954 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:23PM (#11634313) Homepage

    Yes, let's eliminate all distractions so that 5 seconds of happiness that you receive from an email popup regarding a personal email doesn't become a problem. Eliminate checks on weather sites to see how the weather will be when traveling home and planning accordingly. Eliminate everything that could possibly take away from becoming a machine that probably takes no more than 20 minutes in an entire day.

    We are not machines, we are people. Doing repetitive tasks all day is the work of machines and can cause injury in humans. Should we not have that brief hallway chat with our friends and colleagues to satisfy the need of humans? Or should our interactions also become that of machines: necessary and nothing more.

    The distractions listed here seem rather silly and mostly harmless to most people. If a particular person is distracted too much, then fix the problem for them. For example, if someone has a window office and can't stop staring outside all day, stick them in a cubicle or something. For the most part, however, these sort of distractions are what humans often require - a quick brak.

    • But believe it or not many people have ADD. I have been reading statistics taht up to 15-20% of adults suffer from doing all the things mentioned in these posts.

      Myself included.

      Its not that we are bad or lazy but we have problems and distrations need to be taken care of.

      Infact I am a college student currently after being in IT and my GPA went down several points last semester since I developed my first online relationship and discovered Livejournal.

      Even when I am not on my computer I wonder what is goin

      • ADD - if it even exists at all - is not the same as boredom or just an utter lack of interest. Not wanting to focus on an issue or task and actually not being able to focus on an issue or task are two different thing.

        The distractions you mention, however, are completely voluntary. Checking Slashdot every 20 minutes is a self-induced tactic to avoid work.

  • What about Slashdot?
    That thing sucks so many hours from my daily job that I do not even want to count them.
    One time I was running some 20 min simulations and I realized that 20 min were equivalent to a "brief" review of Slashdor.

    I wish I could turn it off
    What a lack of self control damn
  • //Begin HOSTS

    slashdot.org 127.0.0.1

  • No problem here (Score:5, Funny)

    by SomeOtherGuy ( 179082 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:26PM (#11634349) Journal
    What distractions? I thought checking my email and clicking popup boxes was my job.
  • Much of this distraction is self-enforced...

    That should read:

    Much of this distraction is self-imposed...

  • Hi! (Score:2)

    by sandler ( 9145 )
    Dr. Bederson, Dr. Ratey and others often refer to the notion of flow, a concept coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, (pronounced
    CHICK-sent-me-hi-ee), professor of psychology at the Claremont Graduate University and the author of "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" (Perennial, 1991).
    I think that if I checked my email and saw that CHICK sent me hi-ee, that would interrupt my flow too.
  • I've been supposed to FIGHT these distractions all these years?! I must have missed that memo. Sorry. I'll get back to work now.
  • Funny MS does this research.

    The latest version of outlook pops up a little window on the lower right with a little bit of the body of the email. Extra linefeeds at the beginning show nothing.

    That, and there's the mail icon in the systray. When you get tons of email at work, it gets a bit annoying.

    I just really wish the Outlook rules system would get RID of the icon for a new type of mail message (in my case, the tons of out-of-the-office emails) that I have set to auto-trash.I have to empty my trash fold

  • The very worst distraction... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Scratch-O-Matic ( 245992 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:35PM (#11634458)
    is any app that steals the cursor focus from where I'm currently typing (or clicking) in order to show me some alert or dialog. And when I get 2 or 3 follow-on alerts yanking me back for more clicks, I want to put my boot throught the keyboard. I think whoever came up with that scheme did some bad human engineering.

    • That is an OS problem. And yes it is VERY annoying.

      I used to love it when me and everyone in my office would simultaneously be informed via a sound and popup box that steals the keyboard focus that a Netware printer spool drive was full (and the admin was a dumbass).
    • It is one thing really bugs me about my PC at work, especially compared to the mac at home. It is very very rare that a macosx will bring itself in front of other.

      There are two things that bug:

      The biggest culprit for me is Citrix, I beleive that whenever an app in the citrix window asks to be brought to the front, then citrix brings itself to the front on my computer. Now when I run several different citrix sessions (admin/dev/support) this drives me nuts, especially when I am trying to resolve the proble

    • Yup. Microsoft is one of the worst offenders here. E.g. try moving a large folder containing a few read only files, system files etc. in Windows Explorer. Plenty of other examples though.

      A general rule of interface design, if the user is busy typing something, you just don't rudely grab the focus from them. This is a general problem with Windows.

      Occasionally they've tried to improve it and do like Outlook where the taskbar app button flashes blue like crazy. However this is practically as bad, because it'

  • Wipper Snappers (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Tablizer ( 95088 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:36PM (#11634476) Journal
    I remember the good ol' days when we would goof off by walking over and talking to coworkers.
  • MarkTAW writes about procrastination that may grow from distraction like this slashdot post ;-)

    http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/1/18/153331/5 05
  • When I need to get work done, I go to a text mode console and use vim -- many fewer distractions that way :)
  • Funny. I had just read that article while eating lunch.

    Then I was about to get back to work, but decided I could reload slashdot for the 9th time today...

    I should probably get back to work now, but I think I'll check out the headlines on google news first...

  • Sorry if this is a little OT, but this is why I like to boot Ubuntu Linux (on my old dual G4 Mac) when I am working (design, programming, writing) and OS X for fun (editing video, pictures, reading RSS feeds, etc.)

    I keep my Linux system tidy - just the tools that I need to actually do work (and FireFox to post to Slashdot :-)

    I find that it also helps a lot to not check my email frequently while working.

  • An Interupted Workflow is Natural (Score:5, Informative)

    by superultra ( 670002 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @04:47PM (#11634602) Homepage
    I'm a historian, and I've learned that this kind of interupted work flow is nothing new. In fact, for most of our history, humans have worked this kind of "interuptive" work flow as opposed to straight working. Rural work often meant short periods of hard work punctuated by frequent but shorter periods of rest. Many times, another task demanded priority, and the workflow would change again . Labor historian Herbert Gutman has written some fantastic essays on how people carried over these agrarian work habits into industrialization. For example, workers would pool money to hire someone to read the newspaper to them while they worked, they would drink on the job, or sing songs while on the line. Here's a typical work day for a New York City dock worker in the 1840s that Gutman dug up:

    Begin work about 7:00am?.
    8:30-9:30am - "Aunt Arlie McVane" arrives selling baked goods. (Work stops or slows during her visit).
    10:30-11:00am - "Johnnie Gogean, an English candyman arrives to peddle his sweets. (15 minute break to consume candy),br> 11:00am - Whiskey break for the majority of the crew. (Length of break is not specified)
    3:30pm "Uncle Jack Gridder" shows up to distribute a "cake lunch" to workers. (Length of break is not specified)
    5:00pm "Johnnie Gogean" returns with more candy. (10 minute break to consume)
    Continue work until sunset

    The basic problem is that in a postindustrial society, we are told to associate this kind of workflow as unproductive or even lazy. It's not. It's how humans have been working for thousands of years. To work uninterupted, straight for 8 hours, is hard for us to do because it's an abnormal practice.
    • I kinda wish I could work 4 days a week, for 3-4 hours a day.. I'd be much more productive during my time (to get stuff done) and would do the whole slashdot thing at home.. I think the company would actually get more out of me if the work week was broken up into smaller chunks.. *shrug*

      Where did the whole idea of 9-5 / m-f come from anyway?

  • Internet workstations definitely provide new kinds of distractions, but don't forget that people get distracted by lots of lower-tech things, too.

    • phone calls
    • office visitors
    • overhead pages
    • activity outside one's office

    These distractions are multiplied if you share an office or work in a cubicle farm.

    I Am Not A Psychologist, but managers have to manage. If you remove all computer distractions from the environment, bored people will just walk down the hall and chat with others. Conversely, if people

  • Maximum Productivity is achieved in many many different ways. Not engaging the brain, or allowing it to wander like it wants, for many jobs is tantamount to less productivity. Particularly in jobs that require creative thought, and or, mental acquity.

    Treating people humanely, and creating a sense of comradary has shown since the concept of work has begun has always led to maximum productivity.

    Pushing people slavishly has always been the downfall of dull and dense managers.
  • How exactly is actively clicking refresh "fighting" distraction ?

    I embrace distraction at work.
  • but I gotta check my email first
  • /. archives are not cooperating with me just now so I can't give you the link....
    but we went all over the "distracted computer user" stuf prompted by a post concerning an article by David Levy at U. of Washington's School of information.

  • Windows is the most distracting out of the lot (Score:3, Insightful)

    by saha ( 615847 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @05:03PM (#11634780)
    When you log onto a WIndows XP computer it will do one or all of the following things.

    1. Window tip of the day appears. (You can choose not to be bothered again).
    2. These icons aren't being used. Would you like to clean up the tray icons?
    3. Wireless service is available. Several dialog boxes pop up and then one big window pops out to help you select which network you want.
    4. There are new updates for your computer.
    5. If you have an OEM installed machine it comes with DirectCD or Sony Updates....
    6. Inserting a USB thumbdrive requires three different dialog boxes.

    On a Mac OSX system. You application icon can leaps up and down in the dock if it needs attention (reasonable). I switch of animate opening applications. It does annoy you about joining some wireless network if you are in some coffee shop (although it does require as many distracting and redundant message as windows).

    On other Unix (Irix, HP-UX, Solaris) systems nothing bothers you. Then again, I would argue that the pop up windows from the OS and wizards are trying to be helpful. Personally I find it annoying because I know how to use my computers. Well, I get paid to administer computers, so I better know. I find Mac OSX the most useable, yet helpful and gets out of my way to let me do my work.

    • Typo (Score:2)

      by saha ( 615847 )
      (although it doesn't require as many distracting and redundant message as windows).
  • Now I just open Thunderbird, and I just open FF when there's a topic that interests me. I don't browse anymore.

    I also put FireForcaster into FF so I never check the weather anymore.
  • For an interesting and somewhat humorous take on various forms of PC feedback, check out Alan Cooper's famous thesis [chi-sa.org.za] on the subject.

  • The Information Economy is a misnomer (Score:5, Interesting)

    by bitspotter ( 455598 ) on Thursday February 10, 2005 @05:21PM (#11635005) Journal
    an economics is often characterized as the study of how groups allocate scarce resources.

    Today information is anything but scarce; why people decided to call it the "information economy" is beyond me.

    What's really scarce, now that information availability has exploded, is the *attention* needed to perceive and process information. That's why the fad today is "attention deficit disorder".

    "Attention economy" would be a more descriptive term.

    When computers were computers were computers, they were there to automate the processing of information so that we could conserve our attention for other things - like communicating with others. Now, the Internet has turned computers into something entirely different - they're now *communicators*, not "computers". When your average net user says they get online mostly to "surf the web and check their email", they're talking about communications, not computing.

    The computer just happens to hang on because it happens to give those in control of it (ie, the people who write the software - NOT the user) a more efficient platform for managing users' attentions than they ever had before.
  • Would be nice if you had a button always on the screen in some discrete corner labeled "Do not disturb" to turn off reminders, popups, bells, clicks, animations and network access (yes, that too). Would be nice to have it all under control again without all the hassle of unplugging things. Sometimes you just want to write, design, and compute.
  • I was at a knowledge management conference where someone talked about how knowledge workers spend their time. A study of Microsoft software developers uncovered that they spent 75% of their day using Outlook. I kid you not!

    Although timely communications and collaboration are essential to massive distributed development projects, I wonder about the human capacity to prioritize and handle the barrage of incoming communications created by e-mail, IM, etc. I wonder if companies could create scoped-communi
  • ...by turning the computers themselves off. Turn off the Mac, turn off the PC, and I have a couple or three hours of solid cube-cleaning, paper-filing, list-making, etc. Of course, after about a half hour, it's off to the bathroom, then the water cooler, then wander around looking for people I haven't visited with in a while... eh, it's a start. :-)

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