Some people who read this will think I have come down with a case of Technophobia or Xenophobia. It’s not true. I have hit on issues with being distracted in past posts. It is just that I have noticed it more recently.
Disruptions, interruptions, distractions, and task switching has had a signficant impact to my quality of work. Whether it’s Instant Message, email, wandering coworkers or spouse, or the dog barking – it’s all happening too often for me. Or at least that’s the way I feel lately. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I don’t that’s it. There seems like less and less time is available to just think due to the demands place on people today. The mantra in IT of doing much more with a lot less is a reality.
This lack of time to think hinders some creativity which is reducing the return on investment employees are giving back to the company. I have noticed recently two separate incidents with myself and in one my coworker that highlighted the few cracks left for genuine thought analysis to seep out. With me, I am totally surprised how much I enjoy the silence and time to think during my daily shower. For some reason, which I know in reality it isn’t the only time, but it feels like the only quiet time during my day. Additionally, many of the solutions to both personal and professional issues have come to me in the shower. Some days, it might be best for the company if I worked from the shower all day. Someone get me me a shower chair and my laptop!
The occurrence with my coworker was that he discover a problem with something he had setup. Which is not anything groundbreaking, it was where and how. He was literally sleeping, woke up and thought that’s not going to work then jumped right out of bed. That dude must not be getting enough time to focus on his work. It’s just plain sad that the only times he and I seem to get the most thinking done is in bed or in the shower.
