Maybe not Time Wasters, but Time Wasting

Today, I'm wasting time off and on with my social networking, blog, and newsletter reading. Normally, I choose two hours worth of breaks a week, during which I catch up with the social reading. Sometimes on my non-working hours at night I'll do a bit more. While Friday is one of my winding down days for the week, this one shouldn't be. But it is.

I'm still getting my six hours of daily writing time in, but should be pushing it more. I have work scheduled for the weekend and lost time at the beginning of this week for illness. While I'm recovered, I'm not fully there yet. I'm still totally exhausted and can't find the "oomph!" to push myself any harder. Probably a good thing. Better to progress steadily forward than have a rush of productivity followed by an onset of illness again.

Yet, it brings up a good topic to discuss. Our social networking. How much is a good amount of time to commit to it? How much is too much?

I believe the means to finding the answers is in your organizing skills and goal setting. You need to determine at the end of the week your preliminary goals for the next week. Your routine grows out of how you personally achieve those goals.

For me, I set goals for the next week on Friday afternoon. Then, Monday morning I check emails and add to or readjust those goals as information received over the weekend dictates. I've been writing and researching long enough that I have a pretty good idea how long each job takes me to accomplish. You may have to keep track for awhile and determine your times.

Using that information, I can look at my goals and determine how much worktime it will take me to accomplish them. I always adjust a little higher than anticipated for unplanned events or research needs. I also try to schedule just enough work to cover 4 days of worktime, leaving one day open for last minute needs that come up during the week. I always have so many writing projects on hand that it's no problem filling in the gaps when I have extra time.

So what about social networking? Is it a time waster? No. It's a tool to be scheduled within your time schedule, as your schedule allows for it. When you exceed that setting, you're time wasting...or wasting time, to be proper.

Me? Today, I'm wasting time. Body is starting to kick me again and I'm giving in. But only a little. I've still accomplished a lot. I'll have to catch up some this weekend yet. But God willing, the bad snows will stay north so we can have power and my body will continue to heal so I can stay productive.

Sometimes you just have to let it happen. Just be sure to not let it become a habit.