The Feedback

Although we consider every moment spent at the Dx to be a moment well spent, we recognize that not every moment spent online is a moment well spent. So how do our readers beat back information overload and prevent the Internet and social-media sites from swallowing up all their time? This was the question we posted last week.

Reader Sergio wrote that his “Lenten sacrifice this year was to refrain from using social media websites,” even though his use of those sites was almost entirely work-related. He explained:

Over the course of my abstinence I found unhealthy work habits simply faded away. The need-to-know and need-to-share habits promoted by social networks were rechanneled within my workplace instead. This intensified my collaboration with colleagues, and improved the focus and quality of my work. I also finished two books, and generally felt like I was grasping new concepts more effectively.

Spending too much time online is the mark of “crazy” habits, according to reader Alba Patricia Valencia:

Time is a nonrenewable resource and we have short time to live in this existence. When we understand the value of time, we will be more sensible to know how to spend it.

And reader Mike Grayson said that for decades he has been following Drucker’s recommendation to record his time, and the results have been good:

I can say that I have accomplished some pretty aggressive goals, while other goals have been changed because I deem them not worthy of the time it would take to accomplish them. Here is the caveat: I have not always been faithful to the method, but the result is always the same. When I fail to manage my time, my effectiveness drops and I flounder in reaching my goals. When I adhere to the method, I make a great deal of progress toward and often accomplish my goals. The real fight is with my weak human nature.