Saturday, November 22, 2008

The Sweetest Addiction

Well, hello there. I'm Ashley, and I can usually be found writing over at my blog, Our Little Apartment. Dana holds a special place in my heart, because she was the first blogger to tag me for a meme…or maybe she gave me an award? I forget which it was, but I remember feeling a sense of belonging to this blogging community because of Dana and her faithful commitment to us bloggy friends. :) What a lovely lady she is, right?

So! While Dana is off enjoying Vegas, I'm here to ask you a question. Or maybe muse over a predicament. Or just confess something.

[In case any coworker were to find my blog (oh, please no!), I wouldn't be able to post about this over there.]

Most days at the office where I work are the same: Get to work, fire up the computer, attempt to make a to-do list, and alternate for hours between reading blogs, Twittering, and trying to actually get work done for, oh, you know, WORK. Many days, I even write my blog posts at work because it's just another way to procrastinate. I leave at the end of the day feeling defeated and frustrated with myself. [Although, since this is only a one year position, meaning I'm leaving in July anyway, I'm not too worried about getting fired.]

I'm slightly ashamed looking at the past few sentences. Who is this girl and when did her work ethic become so insanely terrible!?

Today, for example – I have to get tons of work done, so I'm avoiding Twitter and blogs. (Although, I am totally writing this at work.) I have no ability to be moderate in these things, apparently. It's either the whole tamale or I completely abstain. Where is my self-control? I'm honestly a little afraid that I'm ruining myself by being such a bad worker…I am better than that, darn it!

I guess my question for you all – Dana's faithful readers and my own – do you blog/Twitter/waste time on the interwebs while you're at work? Do you feel guilty? How do you ensure that your productivity doesn't take a blow?

PS: Dear internet, my sweetest, most favorite drug – I could never quit you. But why must you be so addictive, darn it!

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Omg Ashley, I feel as though I have written this blog. You are not alone.

Carmen said...

i know what you mean, i also feel that way, but i think as long as you get your work done, you're fine. it's all about finding a balance.

Jane said...

Yeah, I agree with La Petite Belle. I use the internet to procrastinate, but I get my important work done. I think spending time online helps keep me from trying to fix things that aren't broken (idle hands, you know?).

Anonymous said...

Haha, this sounds exactly like me.

I get to work check email, check Facebook, check Twitter, read blogs, update my blog, comment on blogs. And then it's about 11:00 and I haven't done any work yet...oops.

alyssa said...

Eh, my ADD starts in with my lack of work at times. So really I'm just trying to keep busy with something ;)

Ashley // Our Little Apartment said...

You guys are also so nice. I need someone to tell me that I need to get my act together and stop. Haha.

EP said...

I feel you on this. I really do. While I cannot blog at work (or read blogs), I spent my downtime tweeting, reading up on the PJ industry, chatting on Gmail and playing on Facebook. :/ It's nice to be able to have time wasters as long as you can take care of business when it needs to be done.

Anonymous said...

I've been wondering why I haven't been able to get out of the office until 8 or 9 or 10(!) each night these past couples of weeks. I can't focus. I need someone to stand behind me w/ a whip.

Tipp said...

I think it is the time of year. I am finding myself in the same exact boat. Sigh.

Kim said...

Two days ago at work I found myself thinking "how on earth did people ever avoid doing their work before the internet?"

Then I stopped and listened to all the people standing in the doors of cubicles (not their own)surrounding mine and chatting.

I realized that's how they wasted time. Chatting. I don't think procrastinating on the web represents anything new, just a new (and easier to hide) way of doing it. What I realized is that what I may be losing out on by wasting all of my time online as opposed to in co-workers cubicles is getting to know coworkers...as opposed to blog friends.

Anonymous said...

I am a SAHM so it's a little different for me. But I definitely blog when I should be cleaning or cooking.

Anonymous said...

Ha, this is so me! I've joked with a couple of friends (non-work) that I'm worthless in the office until at least 9am, because I spend the first hour fixated on my Google reader, commenting on blogs, reading and responding to my comments, twittering, emailing, and facebooking... The internets are SO addictive... especially for those of us so intertwined in overlapping social networks!

PS - super funny that the contextually targeted Google ad at the bottom of the post was for a rehab facility... I've seen that before on my MySpace page (because I list beer and wine as "interests") - apparently Google thinks we're in need of an intervention...

Auburn Kat said...

I have a strict policy against blogging, reading blogs, twittering, facebook, etc while I'm at work. I'm too paranoid my work would read my blog!

However, I do send personal emails which I feel extremely guilty about, but apparently not guilty enough to stop!

Renee said...

Yes. Yes yes yes. Except for the feeling guilty part. At my previous (also temporary) job, I blogged and twittered all day because they didn't give me enough work. Simple as that. It was an awful feeling because I felt they didn't trust me with doing actual work, even though I know deep down it was just bad management.

I just think, like many, if you get your work done well and on time, spend as much time in the blogosphere as you can afford.

Sarah Elizabeth said...

I think Dana was the first one to tag me too! And I am totally the same way at work. When I have things that need to be done right away, I can get them done faster if I know that I will be able to blog afterwards!

However, I am at a job where the work isn't constant, so I don't really know if it is compareable.