10 Ways To Waste Time Online At Work

Many people have access to the internet from their computers at work. The internet can easily tempt workers to waste time online during work hours. Different individuals may be drawn to different activities online. Here is a list of ten different ways that people waste time online while they’re at work.

1. Social Networks – Facebook and MySpace can be quite addicting. It’s easy for someone to logon just to see what new postings are there and end up reading for several minutes without realizing it. Those who use the game apps on the networks having an even bigger draw to keep up with the competition. 

2. Personal Email – Most people can check their personal email online. Checking email often turns into reading email and then responding to email. Time can pass much quicker than you realize. 

3. Youtube – This has become a popular site to go to for a little stress relief. You can look for your favorite music, nature videos or all sorts of humorous videos that have been posted. 

4. Blogs – People have their favorite blogs that they subscribe to. A quick login can lead to clicking on a link that leads to another blog, and another, and another…


5. Forums – There are forums online for almost every interest you can imagine. They are great connecting point with others who share similar interests. Checking in on your forum posts is another online habit that workers can be drawn into. 

6. News – News reports by national news groups are being updated throughout the day. You can login throughout the day to keep up with what is going on around the world. Others read the local newspaper online. 

7.  Adult  – Although many of these other activities can be deemed inappropriate use of your work computer, viewing adult via the internet is something that many employers take very seriously. Unfortunately, it still remains a temptation for many online users.

8. Shopping – It is very easy to shop online for any number of things. When a birthday is getting close, or you’re running short on time for your holiday shopping, it could be tempting to do some shopping during work hours while sitting at your desk. 

9. Travel planning – Most people doing their travel and vacation planning online. They research destinations, lodging and ticket prices. Another way to spend more time than you realize on a non-work related activity. 

10. Chatrooms – Many people frequent chatrooms for entertainment. People may find that certain people they’ve chatted with are often online during work hours. This can tempt them to logon to the chat sites from the work computers. 

Many employers are setting up policies limiting the use of work computers for personal browsing and email which include their right to monitor your online activities performed on employer owned computers. These types of policies can be affective in decrease these types of time wasters, when they are enforced.