Spending more time on Facebook than your work in the office? Doing so will not only incur losses for your company, but affect your career prospects. Read on to find out how you can strike a balance.

By Melissa Leong

You’re back in the office after lunch, and decide to read your best friend’s blog before completing that report you’re supposed to submit by the end of the day. You then click on a link on his blog to watch a hilarious video on YouTube, followed by logging into Facebook to change your status and leave a comment on a wall or two.

Just when you’re about to go back to your report, a former colleague nudges you on MSN Messenger to find out how you’re doing. Before you know it, it’s half past 3, and you haven’t made any progress on that report whatsoever. If you can relate to the above scenario, you’re not alone.

Compromising productivity

Studies are showing that office workers are increasingly distracted in the workplace by websites such as YouTube and Facebook, on top of phone calls and emails. Basex, a business research company in New York City, reports that on average, an office worker is interrupted once every three minutes by telephone calls and random web surfing.

Unfortunately, getting back on track takes much longer. BusinessWeek revealed that such distractions consume up to 28 per cent of a typical worker’s day (including recovery time) and productivity is affected by up to losses of US$650 billion every year.

Needless to say, such activities consume precious time at work, and adversely affect productivity. There are even software programs like “Work Friendly” which enable users to customise internet browsers to resemble a Microsoft Word interface, making it easier to slack on the job.

So when exactly does internet surfing become a problem? There is a myriad of explanations to support why people “superpoke” at work - boredom, laziness, procrastination, curiosity, addiction; the list is long and never exhaustive. The rule of thumb however, is to stop and re-evaluate your priorities when you find yourself spending more time on the net than on meeting those mounting deadlines.

Aimless surfing does not only cause your company to lose out, it will also affect your personal career goals. Too much distraction will obviously result in your workload piling up over time. Some people complain about there not being enough hours in a day, but it’s really how you make use of your time. If you spend decent time completing assignments and meeting your deadlines effectively, work can be finished. Being an effective worker also oosts self-esteem and motivates one to keep up the momentum. However, work undone leaves one feeling stressed and less accomplished.

Bringing unfinished work home is never a solution. Besides ironically working overtime in the comforts of your own crib, slogging at home can bring about more frustration from members of the family who ought to deserve your time away from the office. A delay in career prospects due to lack of focus and poor impressions are other consequences of slacking at work.

Curb it!

What employees need to know is the ability to find a balance between work and play. Remember that once work is done, you can play all you want! Here are some tips to increase efficiency and minimise distraction time.

1. Stick to a schedule
Make it a daily habit to organise your tasks. Prioritise the work you need to do and jot them down in a little handy book, making sure that the most important task goes way on top of the list. Feel proud of yourself and even more motivated when you start to tick them, one by one, off the to-do list.

2. Out of sight, out of mind
Desperate times call for desperate measures. If you’re really behind your work, you might want to consider blocking the websites that take up most of your time. Refraining from logging on to instant messaging programs like MSN Messenger can also prevent you from wasting precious time on idle chatting.

3. Use your imagination
Next time you think about opening up your internet browser to take a break, think about dreaded scenarios like not being able to finish your work or getting a scolding from your boss who might happen to walk by. Suddenly, throwing a cow at your friend on Facebook instead of working on that report might not look like a smart thing to do anymore.

4. Consider alternatives
Unproductive Internet consumption can cost you a lot more time than if you just got up and walked around the office compound before getting back into the scheme of things again. What’s more, you don’t have to feel cooped up all day long and there is fresh air to be had! Otherwise, pour yourself another cup of coffee or get a quick bite occasionally
to keep yourself going without feeling miserable.

5. Reward yourself
For every piece of work done, allow yourself to indulge in web surfing or instant messaging for a short period of time. In order to make sure you don’t exceed this amount of time, set a timer for yourself that will remind you to go back to your tasks at the end of the break.


Skillful time and task management are critical for employees looking for that fine balance between work and leisure time in the office. Remember that no one is expected to work for nine hours at one go. Just be self-disciplined and you should be able to be an efficient worker and a well-balanced individual at the same time. Now log out from your Facebook account and get back to work!

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