Weapons of mass distraction: Why we need to declutter the workspace

It’s impressive to me how much technology has influenced and changed our daily lives. I think back to when I was 16. Having a cell phone was a privilege and I was so grateful to have my first job. Cell phones were so new that they weren’t allowed at work or school (which hasn’t changed drastically, they’re just more expected now) and fear of overage charges was a real thing whenever we logged onto the Internet or got an abundance of text messages.  Social media was MySpace (props to those who remember) and it wasn’t at our fingertips. Nowadays, we live in the time of unlimited technology and convenience that we don’t remember how to live without.

Those were the days. I appreciated my good work ethic and the lack of distractions. I loved going into work and not caring what was going on with my Facebook friends or whether or not the picture of last night’s dinner was breaking the Internet. Don’t get me wrong. I love how convenient it is to keep up with everyone and to be able to watch TV from my phone. But I do feel like our rising generations are becoming lazier, careless, and inconsiderate or unappreciative of having a good work ethic these days. Let me start my argument by throwing myself under the bus.

“Making a Murderer.” If anyone needs a good show to watch, be ready to waste 12 hours of your life in suspense and grief, dying to see the next episode. This statement is extremely accurate for me, so much so that I had to keep Netflix running on my phone while I was attempting to work. Let’s cut the crap. I spent 8 hours that day at work not getting a single thing done, but learning everything there is to know about Steven Avery (please don’t show this to my boss…).

This leads to one ultimate question: Are we too distracted at work? What about our personal lives? I know I’d rather sit at home and play Mario Kart all night than study for my quiz that’s due in four hours. That being said, I can personally be the first to take accountability. I am way too distracted. It’s just too easy with all that we have at our beck and call.

So, what is the solution to this dire problem? Well we could cut out the technology, and make some BS New Year’s Resolution about how we are going to just try so much harder, but that just doesn’t work. At this point, I think we’re doomed and destined for failure! Really though, it will all keep expanding and will just get easier. All I can say here is, good luck, best wishes, and remember to minimize that Netflix window when the boss is afoot.

If you think I’m crazy or simply way off here, tweet me your take @thereal_jsanch