I stumbled upon a site who talks about how IM and productivity rarely mix which is exactly the opposite on how I view instant messaging. He says something like this:
Unfortunately it seems that more than anything else it’s a constant distraction that eats time…
The only true way to avoid this problem is to turn it off.
This is a big surprise for me since IM has saved me in a lot of ways throughout my young career. It has boosted my productivity level to enormous heights that I can’t seem to imagine what life would have been without it.
By reading the article and sweeping through the comments page people had different views and purpose on how they use their instant messenger.
This is a powerful tool that used correctly can actually speed up your progress in life.
What are the instant messengers I use?
I first had Yahoo Messenger a few years back and have recently gotten MSN, GTalk and lately AIM.
How to avoid distractions?
I actually don’t . Looking at the list of people I added to my messenger I came to realize that the people I have added are those who share the same interests that I have. They are people I have met in work, hot contacts, college and high school friends, and family members who were in the same wavelength as I am. When I say the same wave length this means we are a group of serious achievers.
This only means one thing. The hundreds of people I have added are busy career minded people. They do not pop for any reason at all than business. Yes, they could disturb and eat up your time whenever they need help or career advice. On the other side they are also the people you can pop in anytime if help is needed.
My IM is my 911 emergency call number. If I am stuck in a technological problem then a pop is all I need. If I need resource or advice on a certain decision then an IM pop is my first option. Countless of times the messenger saved me a lot of hours and gave me the answers right when I needed them most. The amount of help that was given to me was more than what I have given.
It’s not that I am selfish but it’s just the way it goes. Probably a statistician could explain the numbers behind it.
Anyway, to conclude; IM is an extremely powerful tool. Do not use it against you but rather use it to your advantage.
Internet Annoyances : How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Going Online (Annoyances)
