A while back I read an article about the benefit of taking a break during the working day. It talked of the usual suspects of getting up, making a cup of tea or coffee, or chatting to a colleague, but it also mentioned how using the internet can provide this break.
I smiled a bit when I read that. Since I started using Twitter I’ve slowly noticed a pattern and that is that the times when I tweet the most is when I’m at my happiest and most inspired with my work situation. I have a high need to constantly learn and feel that I am part of something, and I like fast paced environments. For some reason checking tweets and tweeting gives me a sense of all those things.
My full on concentration normally only lasts for about an hour before I need a couple of minutes break and on a good day at work these breaks are a mixture of quickly skimming through my twitter feed and getting up for a glass of water. This is what’s caused my high count of favourites on my twitter account. I like to collect and build a library of resources online but as I hardly ever have time to properly read an article during work hours I’ll favourite the tweet or bookmark a link that’s included in it based on the tweet description or a quick skim.
There is no doubt that social media and internet in general provides disruptions to the working day, but depending on how you use it, services like Twitter and blogs are really good news channels for keeping up with trends, developments and opportunities. And they are important sources for inspiration and learning. Besides, when I do have a 5 min break and go through my twitter stream, or check some of the blogs I normally read and find that little gem of an article or website that makes me remember all the great things we can create, then that does increase my motivation and productivity. So don’t be alarmed if I tweet a lot. It’s a good sign.
Tomorrow – Day 136 | Building castles
