Productivity = Happiness?

I just wrote this for my company's blog:

Let's face it, sometimes it's not easy to stay focused at work. There are so many distractions, especially if you're at a computer all day long like I am. Although it's tempting to spend the day goofing off and not getting much done, I find that at the end of a day like that, I am always unhappy. And I'm pretty sure I know why: not only do I feel guilty about being unproductive, but the work didn't go away! I've only made the next few days more hectic and stressful.

Last night I read an article called 18 Ways to Stay Focused at Work and have implemented a few of the suggestions so far today, including:

• #1: Creating a task list for the day
• #3: Time "Boxing" - alot yourself a specific amount of time for a task, then move on, even if you haven't finished it
• #5: Don't check personal email first thing in the morning...build momentum instead!
• #8: Use headphones without music

There are some other great tips in there that I'm going to work on incorporating into my daily routine as well.

Well, my time box gave me 20 minutes to write this post, and I have 1 left, so I'd better move on to the next box. It's a personal call that should only take 5 minutes (shhh....don't tell anyone), but I don't have to feel bad about it because I've already gotten so much done this morning!

Try some of these out yourself, and post your results below in the comments.

I hadn't realized it until I wrote it down. Being unproductive makes me unhappy. So, I suppose it would stand to reason that being productive will make me happy! (or at least happier)