Tech Talk: Untangling the Web

 We have all been there, trying to research a question on the internet and find ourselves watching a video of a talking dog.  Our computer can certainly be a time-waster or as my husband and I like to say "T.W."  It's hard to focus on something with the vastness of the internet.  A picture, interesting link or comment catches our eye and before we know it, an hour has passed on a project that was taking 5 minutes.  This is a terrible problem for me since I spend a lot of my time on the computer working.   I've found a few things that have helped me that I can share. 

• Get a little egg timer and use it.  I found that having a small deadline even if it is sand in a timer, can help use time wisely.  Competing against sand to find answers keeps us on track.
• Write it down.  Having a checklist on what needs to be done, on and off the computer, really helps keep focus on the work. 
• Bookmark your sites.  Alt+Z with Internet Explorer and Ctl+D with Firefox will save favorite sites.  These will be easily accessible later when there is time to look at the sites.  Searching for sites takes time when they aren't easily findable, it is a T.W.! 
• Turn off Outlook.  Email is always coming through and it will be there when the project is finished.  Try not to look at email so often. 
• Dual monitors.  I went kicking and screaming and thought two monitors would take up too much desk space but after a few days of using dual monitors, I will never go back to one.  The benefits are wonderful.  Two monitors can create a great multitasking environment.  All that is needed is a VGA splitter cable and  an additional monitor.  Set your display to extend and we are off and running!

It's okay to waste time sometimes and a computer is a good source.  We have to keep in mind that a computer is also a great learning tool so maybe it's not a waste after all.