Does IMing make you more or less productive?
A couple of weeks ago, someone posed the question “Does IMing make you more or less productive?” on Linkedin’s Answers forum. I thought it was a really good question and I can see how IMing can make you less productive, but I also know the value of using it in a team environment.
I find IMing to be an invaluable tool for working in a team. Email is a passive medium where response times are not immediate and can get lost in a rapidly filling inbox. IM’s are more direct and most people feel they need to respond with some immediacy. The other thing about IM’s is that you can be less formal and get to the point quicker. At work, I use IM’s to work with a team of designers and developers to quickly pass files and code snippets back and forth.
On the downside, instant messaging can also be a distraction, but it’s all in how you use it. I tend not to respond to people who want to chit-chat about their cat while I’m at work. 
I’ll catch-up on what mister twinkles is doing when I’m at home. Not that I’m ever rude about it, I just let the person know that I’m at work and I don’t have time to chat at the moment.
I use a multi-platform IM client for the Mac called Adium. It allows me to use one client for many of the different instant messenger services that people use. It can connect to AIM, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo, and more. It’s highly customizable, supports file transfers, and is super easy to use.
So what do you think? Does IMing make you more or less productive?
→ João Carvalhinho @ October 9th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Pandora box is now open :)
I agree with you… if you can “separate” your chit-chat from your Productive conversations, IMing can boost your productivity allot… for instance, in my corporate environment, I tend to leave outlook closed so to free up machine resources… It has produced some strange results… from e-mails with lost deadlines, to others that were nonsense of the other nearby users (my boss specially) and would have cost me a lot of time…
But it’s nothing exclusive about the IM functionality in a connected world. In the same fashion you need to administer your IM time, you have to screen your e-mail- attachment- viewing-pleasure, your interesting-but-irrelevant-web-browsing, or even your Internet-banking time… I have found that in senseless web browsing is where I spend the most time… even if it can be called “Finding Inspiration” by following examples :) so… it could be catalogue as working and productive time! :)
Nice Blog… clean interface…and good use of colours :)
JPCarvalhinho!
→ Wojciech Zając @ October 15th, 2007 at 10:09 am
I use Adium too, but while working I prefer to turn it off. To communication at work I like tools like Campfire, when you are able to join the chat without having to worry about software or the platform.
Really impressive layout and typography.
Regards,
Wojtek