There are always reports about how unproductive workers can be at work, spending a majority of their day loafing around the Internet. But what about productive ways you can use your time online? Brazen Careerist contributor Allison Rice offers a few smart things you can do while surfing that won’t have your boss giving you the side eye:
Learn to type faster. Fortunately, learning to type is easier than learning a foreign language, but it does take practice. If you’re still a hunt-and-peck typist, make the commitment today to speed up.
Online typing tools can be fun, and just 10 minutes a day can work wonders within a month to get you up to speed. Mashable has a nice list of eight sites and typing tools. Find one that works for you and get started.
Move social media to a different browser. Do you find yourself constantly tempted to check Facebook or Twitter? Although a quick social media break can be a great reward throughout the workday, it’s also a guaranteed productivity killer.
One trick I’ve found is to block these sites in my primary browser and force myself to open a new application to check my profiles. I then shut the program back down and get back to work, without the constant temptation to click a bookmark link in my primary browser. For more self-controlled workers, simply eliminating the bookmark may be all you need to do!