Top 5 - Desktop distractions

Top 5 - Desktop distractions by Michael Cheary Easily distracted? You’re not alone…In fact according to our latest research, the average UK worker dedicates 33 minutes to ‘me-time’ every single day. And yes, Snapchat does count as ‘me-time’.To help see if you’re bit of a secret slacker, here are the top five desktop distractions for workers across the UK:Replying to messagesOne in four of us admit that replying to text and WhatsApp messages takes up the majority of our ‘me time’.If you comfortably fit within the bracket of ‘overly attached to your smartphone’, this number probably isn’t all that surprising. Especially if your company doesn’t have any formal rules around usage.Just make sure your messages are as short and infrequent as possible. Firing off a few replies throughout the day is fine. Adding half the office to your groupchat is not.Checking social mediaRight up there alongside texting, a quarter of us confessed that we couldn’t get through the day without using soc ial media.But there does seem to be a slight difference in behaviour when it comes to gender. Almost two thirds of men said that Snapchat was their biggest distraction, but only 37% of women seemed to share their penchant for posting selfies and status updates in the office.Unfortunately, we don’t have any data for Tinder…Reading out-of-work materialWith most of us constantly connected to a number of news and entertainment sources, it stands to reason that a lot of our time might be spent reading things which could be comfortably considered ‘not suitable for work’.And it isn’t just on our phones. Whether it’s an article you’ve seen that just couldn’t wait until after work, or a rogue magazine which somehow found its way to your desk, there’s certainly no shortage of material for us to digest.Our advice? Download an app which allows you to add to your reading list throughout the day, which you can revisit at a later hour. If all else fails, buy a bookmark and hope f or the best.Checking phoneReplying to messages and using social media isn’t the only way we’re wasting time on our smartphones.The second biggest distraction highlighted by those surveyed was simply checking the phone to see if there were any updates. Something which, it seems, takes up a surprising amount of time when it comes to our daily schedules.Personally, we blame push notifications.Browsing the internetLet’s face it, the internet is a pretty distracting place.Which might be why the majority of those we surveyed named browsing it as their number one desktop distraction. And whether it’s checking our emails, getting sucked in by misleading headlines or perusing popular sidebars chocked full of the latest celebrity gossip, it seems like most of us can’t quite keep this temptation at bay.And the worst offenders of this digital distraction? Accountants.Something to think about next time you don’t submit your tax return on time…*Survey of 2,592 jobseekers from reed.c o.uk databaseGetting bored of your day job? Find your perfect position now.Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Life At Work Work-life balance Workplace culture