One of the challenges I constantly battle is becoming addicted to my computer. The computer in the home is a wonderful tool. When I was growing up newspapers, television and radio delivered you the news. If you wanted to pay your bills you had to receive them by mail and send payment to the company you owed.
One of the challenges I constantly battle is becoming addicted to my computer. The computer in the home is a wonderful tool. When I was growing up newspapers,
television and radio delivered you the news. If you wanted to pay your bills you had to receive them by mail and send payment to the company you owed. Items you considered buying were advertised either in print or over the airwaves and you either had to buy them going to a store, or possibly by a mail order catalog. Yes, the computer, and the way it has changed the way we live our lives, has in many ways been a positive advancement.
However, I also have found the computer to be a distraction in my life. Many mornings I get up and while I may have someplace to go or an appointment to make, I’ll find myself first checking out my computer. Sometimes it is to check my e-mail. Other times it may be to do a quick check of news items. Often I’ll say to myself it will only take me “5 minutes”, and I’ll move on to what is on my schedule. However, soon the “5 minutes” turns into 10 and 10 into 20, and before I know it, I’ve veered from what I was going to the computer for in the first place, and checking out sites and stories I had no intent on viewing. I have put myself behind schedule, rushing to make my appointments and speaking negatively about not having enough time in my day as opposed to correcting a situation that I have entirely brought on myself.
Yes, being addicted to my computer is a continual challenge to me. And, whether it is your computer, Blackberry, I-Phone, or whatever electronic device you prefer, not becoming a slave to it, as opposed to using it as the support tool it is designed to be is something we all need to consider. My coaching practice has me continually working with a growing number of job searchers. While more of that world has moved to the computer, (internet resume’ submission, job postings online, social media sites for networking), it is a challenge to get job searchers to realize that the computer is only a tool in their search, and not the entire search process.
No matter how many technological advances we make as a society, nothing replaces the need to reach out and interact with others. People really only get to know you, like you and trust you when they have an opportunity to experience you and your presence over and over again. As such, job seekers who only confine their search to online job postings and applying via the internet, without looking to make contact with others beyond the computer are likely individuals who are not making much progress in their search. Yes, the computer has its place in one’s search, (as a tool for research, to get background on a company with which you are preparing to interview or possibly to find a contact that is part of your online network working at or who knows someone who works at a company where you are looking to make inroads). However, to use it as an exclusive tool in your search is definitely an addiction that needs to be cured in itself.
I realize I need to continually fight my battle against being addicted to my computer. It may mean committing myself only to sign on to my computer during two to three periods of my day, and at that time only stick to those tasks to which I’m committed. It may mean when on the computer only opening the applications which I need at the moment, and not have open those applications, (such as email), that distract me. Whatever steps I decide to take, I’ll always be conscious that the computer itself is a tool, a tool that if used properly can be of great value to one. However, if used as a tool which directs your life as opposed to supporting it, then you are truly fighting an addiction. How do you plan to fight your computer addiction?
