Are you a computer-worm? Do you thrive on a computer 24/7? A “computer-worm” is analogous to “book-worm” – a person who spends most of the time working on a computer. Do you expend most of your time reading or writing emails, chatting with friends, watching movies, listening to music, cyber-window-shopping, etc? Do you relegate your important tasks of completing a school assignment, working on a contingency project, etc to realize later that you spent the prime-time idly? In this article, you would discover few ways of improving your cyber-life – how to make your working on a computer more useful and much more effective.

Technology revolution has supplemented the ease and increase of computer usage. The overall at-home global active internet use for a number of selected countries grew by two-thirds of a percentage point from February 2004 to March 2004 (Nielsen//NetRatings). Switzerland exhibited the largest growth rate at over 3 percent, while U.S. added the most active Internet users over the month. With this enormous increase in internet usage you have to keep the following 5 ideas in mind that would help increase the efficiency of work that you do while on your computer off-work.

1) Chat or email kills your time-

Avoid opening a chatting application, or an email application as your first window. When you find one of your friends on the chatting window (or email from one of your friends), you inadvertently start conversing with the person. On the other hand, if you do not find any friend, you search for a new chat-buddy. In both the cases you deviate yourself from important tasks. This hinders you from working on essential activities that you intended to do when you started the session.

Instead, make a habit of completing tasks that you planned before opening a chat window or an email window. Treat yourself with a chatting session (or an email session) for completing the daily (important) tasks.

2) Audio speakers add to your entertainment-

Turn on your pair of audio speakers, if you have one. Listen to online news, success stories, motivational speeches or jokes while working on your important tasks.

Online news is becoming common day after day. You can view and listen to news on many websites. You would find it easy to access online news channels if you have a “superpass” with Real Networks (http://www.real.com/superpass/). Nevertheless, websites like MSN (http://msnvideo.msn.com/), ABC News (

3) Do smart-browsing not the hard-browsing-

When you read on the internet, do it intelligently. One way of intelligent reading is to increase your vocabulary. Look up difficult words in the dictionary when you read documents on the web. You can use innovative internet tools like XemanteX (http://www.xemantex.com) that provide an online-running-dictionary. You can read through the document with a built-in dictionary. Just double click the word to get the meaning on the same screen.

4) Online games as concentration tools-

Play online games. Games not only give you entertainment but also help you increase your concentration. There are many websites that offer free subscription to the games on their website. Perform a Google search on “free online games” that would bring up thousands of resources. Enjoy playing a game, improving your personal skills at the same time.

5) Help your mind concentrate-

Split your entire sitting into various sessions. You would be able to give out more every session. Take a coffee or tea break every 45 to 60 minutes. This would help your mind free up its resources and get back on track after the break. Moreover, this would help you avoid narrow thinking. One gets to think through a narrow channel when deep concentration.

Okay, I told you 5 simple and common ways to make your off-work computer life easy. Try them out and feel the difference. You would be happier and feel more accomplished. As you know internet has redefined human’s life. Computer, which was used only by intellectuals and elite a few years ago, is a basic requirement for a common man now. To add fuel to the fire, internet has supplemented its power transforming them the best communication tool. Instant messaging, emailing, electronic news, etc allow for fast and easy communication among the internet users. Very soon, computers would be indelible parts of our life. You should realize that the tremendous power that this internet has can only be harnessed when it is put to use in the most efficient way.

Prasad Kopanati is the Vice President of XemanteX Inc. (http://www.xemantex.com), an internet company offering language related services as dictionary tool displaying meanings for words appearing in the text on the internet web pages. You can reach him via email at team@xemantex.com.