Not paying attention
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 11:35 amIsn't it easy to forget just how hard it can be to concentrate on work when you are at home? Intellectually I know this; it's one of the reasons I'd rather go to work ninety-nine times out of a hundred rather than work from home. That's not to say that it's not fun working from home, but by and large, there are far more distractions than there are in the office.
I was prepared today. I have downloaded the documents I need onto my flash drive and I made sure I had the correct log-in details and URL for the Department's online system and I had mentally set myself to ignore the possibilities offered oh, so tantalizingly by iPods, CD player, the radio, the TV and so forth. And it's worked; I have had a productive couple of hours and got more done than I would have had I tried to do this in the office with the random queries, phone calls and emails. Then I noticed the spot.
It must have been there for ages, sitting unremarked and ignored, but I see it now and it beguiles me in the way that only pointless things can when you have other things to do.
On the wall, just above my monitor, there is the smallest, most insignificant brown spot. It is probably no more than 1mm in diameter, maybe a little more. It is, as far as I can tell, the only one on the wall or indeed any of the walls in the study. It is above my monitor and it calls to me with its siren voice of distraction. "Look at me, ponder my origin and existence" it says. The call of form design and helptext drafting is muted and almost silent in the face of the onslaught of this tiny, pale brown spot.
I fancy I shall take a break and have a cup of coffee. I want to tippex this blemish, but then I should be replacing it with white and that would stand out even more...
I was prepared today. I have downloaded the documents I need onto my flash drive and I made sure I had the correct log-in details and URL for the Department's online system and I had mentally set myself to ignore the possibilities offered oh, so tantalizingly by iPods, CD player, the radio, the TV and so forth. And it's worked; I have had a productive couple of hours and got more done than I would have had I tried to do this in the office with the random queries, phone calls and emails. Then I noticed the spot.
It must have been there for ages, sitting unremarked and ignored, but I see it now and it beguiles me in the way that only pointless things can when you have other things to do.
On the wall, just above my monitor, there is the smallest, most insignificant brown spot. It is probably no more than 1mm in diameter, maybe a little more. It is, as far as I can tell, the only one on the wall or indeed any of the walls in the study. It is above my monitor and it calls to me with its siren voice of distraction. "Look at me, ponder my origin and existence" it says. The call of form design and helptext drafting is muted and almost silent in the face of the onslaught of this tiny, pale brown spot.
I fancy I shall take a break and have a cup of coffee. I want to tippex this blemish, but then I should be replacing it with white and that would stand out even more...
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-10 10:46 am (UTC)Put a picture over it?
I worked from home yesterday and the problem I had was that it was a quiet day (no work to do except field panicky phone calls and emails).
It was so tempting to put the phone and email within easy reach and then do something else.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-10 10:55 am (UTC)*A tricky level on Lego Star Wars the Complete Saga
*Filling up the Bird Feeders
*Weeding the flowerbeds
*Checking his Salad/potato crop
*Watching his fox cubs playing
*Reading a book
*Surfing thar Intarwebby
*De-Geeking the loft
*or anything more interesting.....
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-10 01:17 pm (UTC)