Online Distractions

I don’t know if you’re like me, but I dream of a job that give me flexibility of time and location. I find myself searching through the employment ads of Craigslist.org or our local big classifieds site on KSL.com for legitimate jobs that allow for me to stay employed at home. Most are the “business opportunities” and are scams with companies trying to take advantage of the dreamers like myself. Truth be known, I don’t know if I could handle a work at home job right now in my life. I have a three year old and a one year old at home, and a list of honey do’s that keeps growing from my wife. I find coming to an office is a break at this point in my life, but I know many people may be ready for a work from home career.

That got me thinking and wanting to help others thinking about a work from home career or even thinking about getting their online degree. Those students who are able to develop the discipline to go to school, graduate, and get their online degrees are much further ahead in their modern day work ethics. There are so many distractions at our fingertips now a days that you really have to have a plan of attack to stay focused on tasks and to do what needs to be done. I thought I would try and put together a list of things that have distracted me when working from home and/or studying from home, and actions to overcome the distractions.

Online Degree at Home

Distractions and Actions

• Television
• Music
• Pajamas
• Empty Stomach
• Instant Messenger
• Unnecessary Programs
• Schedule
• People/Family
• Internet
• Computers and Software

Television

If you have a television in your office or study, remove it from your office or study or at the least, TURN IT OFF! If you are a YouTube addict, turn off YouTube. You can even block it using OpenDNS.com or other website blocking services. This can help you to overcome your YouTube addiction.

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Music

Have you ever found yourself jumping up out of your office chair and playing air guitar and taking the lead on the microphone, right in the middle of something very important that needs to be done? Well that’s kind of distracting isn’t it? If your music is distracting you, then you should do something about it. Change what you are listening to, turn it down, or turn it off. Music during work and during studying is not meant for entertainment, it should support your mind in processing information.

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Pajamas

When working at home it can be easy to just work in your underwear and not completely commit yourself to the day. I alway recommend taking a shower and getting ready just like you were heading into an office or up to school. This will help you mentally feel ready for the day and feel like you have already done so much. You should always be ready for any situation and respect yourself, your family, and/or your roommates with good hygiene.

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Food is Distracting

Empty Stomach

An empty stomach can have a distracting effect. Make sure to feed yourself. You are less likely to get up and snack if you fill your stomach first. I know I often times find myself getting up and snacking all day long. Get what you need and bring it to your office. Schedule breaks for snacks, but treat them like mandatory 15 minute breaks every 3 hours or so. Don’t make them every 10 minutes.

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Instant Messenger

More recently I’ve tried to create a separate Instant Messenger account for work. This has prevented a lot of BS conversation. I know I start a lot of unnecessary conversation over IM. If you get enough friends, the IM conversations never end. Don’t abandon IM altogether, but turn it off when working or studying. Instant Messengers can be a great way to network, but there should be a reason that they’re on. Same can apply to Twitter. This applies to text messaging too. Turn off your phone if it’s too big of a temptation and becomes too big of a problem.

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Unnecessary Programs

I’m sure most of you have plenty of different programs from graphic design to Twitter programs. You should eliminate any distractions that are caused by idle programs. If you need a program you can always reopen it, but don’t leave it sitting idle, shut it down. This will also improve your computer performance by not consuming computer resources.

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Create a Schedule

Schedule

Goals require game plans. Your work day or education should have some type of a schedule. Just because your schedule can be flexible doesn’t mean you just do things whenever. You should create a set schedule for working or for studying and doing homework. The flexibility should only be used when it has to be used. Remember that when you take some time out of your schedule you have to put it back in. Flexibility just means that things that are usually done at a specific time can be pushed off to another time. You need to make up any lost time without disturbing the rest of your schedule. This is often times the most important element when it comes to working at home or doing school from home.

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People/Family

When working or schooling from home, boundaries need to be set with your family, friends, and/or roommates. They need to respect your time so you can keep your job and/or get your education. It is much easier for them to respect your time if it is scheduled out. When they don’t know the next time you are going to be available, then it’s easy for them to justify disturbing you. That’s why a consistent schedule is so important. An office with a door and a lock never hurt at all either. It’s nice to create a work/study space. Heck maybe even get yourself one of those “OPEN” signs or some sign that helps to illustrate to people that you do not want to be disturbed. You can teach your kids to understand the sign and to leave mommy or daddy alone when the sign is on.

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Internet is Distracting

Internet

The internet can be a distraction in a bunch of different ways. First of all the obvious, don’t look at stuff that is unrelated to your goals and tasks for the day. I think the internet is the leading cause of ADD now a days. It’s way too distracting and easy to lose your bearings for the day. Second thing that can be distracting is the speed of the internet. You have committed to work or school from home, invest in a decent internet connection. Find something that is quick and reliable. You should be able to write it off on your taxes so you might as well get the good stuff. Sometimes schools and employers will help pay for the connection.

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Computers and Software

OK, the last one is the one you’ve all been waiting for. If your computer sucks and is slow, get one that will help you be more productive. A computer that just works and requires less maintenance. This is a loaded discussion. My two cents is to get yourself a Mac. Sometimes your employer or even your major at school will have required programs you have to use and may require a Windows machine or vice versa. Make sure to ask the right questions to your school or employer before getting a new computer. You may also find that there may be some software that will help you be more productive. Identify the things that you will be doing with the computer and get some programs that will help you be more productive. Again this should be a write off. When purchasing your computer and programs, ask about a student discount, most students get very steep discounts on software and computers.

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Conclusion

Working from home or getting your online degree from home can be a difficult thing to do even though it seems much easier. It requires some organization and planning to make sure that your employer and schooling gets the necessary time and respect. You can apply these suggestions as a full time or part time employee. You can apply these suggestions as a full time or part time student earning their online degree or getting their online training. Make sure to organize what works best for you and respect yourself by executing what you have organized. Stay focused and good luck. Let us know if you think of other things that will help our readers by leaving a comment with your suggestions below.

Companies that offer tuition reimbursement programs

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Before these musicians were famous, they were writing term papers just like the rest of us. Many of them studied creative arts and a few even studied less artsy subjects like, gasp, economics! There is something to be said for smart rock and something to be said for an individual who is smart enough to get their education on the off-chance that they are not the next Mick Jagger.

An artist’s intelligence shines through in their work. Smart lyrics laced within literary illusions and metaphors make for some, well, to use a regional dialect, “ril good listenin.” Check out our list below.

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Every year People magazine announces their list of the “100 Most Beautiful People.” The list of stacked with actors, actresses, musicians, enertainers, activists and politicians. While there is no shortage of sex appeal, we aren’t so sure about smarts. Is it all brawn and no brains? We did a little investigative work for you. The entertainment industry tends to value experience over formal education; that being said, taking a few college classes never hurt anyone. Many celebs earned their degrees through online online or alternative means of education due to their irregular schedules. Check out the list below to find out which sexy celebs made the grade:

Carrie Underwood

Before this blue-eyed blonde took the American Idol circuit by storm, she took writing classes. After graduating from Checotah High School she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis on Journalism. It wasn’t all work and no play though, she was also a member of the Alpha Iota sorority.

Tina Fey

Fey has earned her way into the hearts and Tivo queues of millions of many Americans with her deadpan comedic delivery and nice-girl appeal. She sharpened her acting chops at the University of Virginia where she studied drama.

Eva Longoria

She might play one on TV but Eva Longoria is no desperate housewife. This Texas A&M grad earned a bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology, the study of body movement. After college, she entered a talent contest that brought her to Los Angeles, and she has been acting ever since.

Rahm Emmanuel

Mr. Emmanuel was one of the first people appointed to Barack Obama’s administration and he has the educational pedigree to back it up. He is known for a take-no-prisoners attitude and is often referred to as Rahmbo but we learn that he has a softer side from his ballet studies as an adolescent. He was offered a ballet scholarship to Joffrey Ballet school but turned it down to attend Sarah Lawrence College. He then went on to earn his master’s degree in Speech and Communication from Northwestern University.

Michelle Obama

Mrs. Obama may answer to “first lady,” but she has what it takes to hold her own in the male-dominated world of US government. Michelle studied at Princeton before obtaining her Juris Doctrorate from Harvard in 1988. Mrs. Obama is one select few first ladies with a post-graduate degree alongside Hillary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush.

Rashida Jones

Office fans know Rashida Jones as Jim’s old girlfriend, but Harvard’s class of 1997 knew her as just another classmate. Jones had a penchant for reading from a young age and her father, musician Quincy Jones, recalls finding her reading books by flashlight under the covers at age 5. At Harvard, Rashida toyed with the idea of becoming an attorney but later settled on a degree in religion and philosophy.

Jimmy Fallon

SNL veteran Jimmy Fallon is a proponent of the 17 year bachelor plan. Fallon attended the College of St. Rose in in New York and left one semester short of graduating with a degree in communications. He felt the need to finish what he started and presented his final portfolio last month and deemed worthy to receive a bachelors degree in communications. “Finally, I convinced them that I’ve done enough communicating to get my communications degree — and it only took me 17 years do to it. All I can say is, Thank God I didn’t want to be a doctor. That would have taken 65 years,” said Jimmy.

Are you obsessed with celebrity? Is your dream to work for a celebrity? Do you want to know what your career options are and what kinds of employees that celebrities need? This article was written to help educate the celebrity obsessed about different careers that are needed by celebrities. Celebrities themselves are more or less “Business Entities”. They operate much like a business but require much more personal detail. These celebrities have needs for their families, their personal images, their money, their health, their protection, and the list goes on. A lot of these careers don’t require a traditional college degree but more vocational training or a vocational degree. I’ve also tried to link to professionals in the field so you can read more about them and how they got where they are.

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Every university or college has some form of a mascot. Some are intimidating animals like a bulldog or a bear. Some are meant to be inspiring like an eagle. And then some are just plain weird. Take a look at the top 5 worst college mascots:

Saint Louis University: Billiken

Photo courtesy of SLU

I know, I asked myself the same question: What in the hell is a billiken? I think only the designer of the Billiken, art teacher Florence Pretz, really knows. The campus newspaper describes it as a jovial creature with a broad smile, a rotund belly and a tuft of hair on top of his head. Translation: some weird member of the elf family. Famous St. Louis football coach John R. Bender is said to have resembled billiken a bit.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Lil Red

Photo courtesy of Huskers.com

First of all, using the modifier “lil,” in your mascot goes against the entire point of a mascot. It’s not the word you want your football team associated with. “The description on wikipedia literally says, “inflatable boy.” Mistake number 2 people. I hate to burst your inflatable bubble but that is lame. I’m not even going to get into his creepy pedophile smile and sideways baseball cap.

Wichita State University: WuShock

Photo courtesy of Collegerule.com

The University’s student body and football teams are known as “Shockers.” This descriptor comes from the early days of the university when students earned money by shocking or harvesting wheat fields. Mr.Wushock happens to be quite the bad boy though, in 1987 he was thrown out of a game by the referee for pretending to be a blind referee.

University of California-Santa Cruz: Banana Slug

This yellow, slimy, without-a-backbone (literally) slug has been amping up northern California crowdsfor decades. Interestingly enough, the school was considering a sea lion for and had even painted a giant sea lion on the basketball court when the student body voted to have the banana slug for their mascot. The students got their way and we’ve been scratching our heads ever since.

Providence College: Friar

Photo courtesy of daylife.com

Rhode Island’s private catholic college, Providence, keeps their mascot in line with their values and has elected a “friar,” as their mascot. Students are often referred to as “friar fanatics.” Last time I checked being called a fanatic wasn’t a good thing.

At universities and colleges across the country, each fall season brings a fresh crop of bright-eyed freshmen hoping to pledge their way into fraternities. Getting into the Greek spirit can be fun, but at what cost? Plenty of these rites of passages (perhaps more appropriately called wrongs of passage), have landed these guys in hospitals and worse. Here is the breakdown of the most horrifying frat fatalities and injuries:

Fatalities and Injuries

• Up in Flames
• 15 Shots of Brandy Too Many
• Frat Boy Rumble
• Chi Tau Waterworks Stunt Goes Bad
• Even in Utah
• Oven Cleaner?
• Spilled Milk
• Statistics

Up in Flames

May 12, 1996: University of North Carolina’s Phi Gamma Delta house went up in smoke after an all night graduation party, killing five and injuring three others. Authorities say the fire was started by “improper use of smoking materials.” What does that mean exactly?

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15 Shots of Brandy Too Many

January 1994: A 19-year-old Phi University of Nebraska-Lincoln pledge fell off the third floor of the Phi Gamma Delta house after he had been given 15 shots of brandy and whiskey and six cans of beer.

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Frat Boy Rumble

January 16, 2005: At Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio student Brent Jones, age 21, died from a fractured skull and enlarged brain caused from hitting a door frame in an altercation with a fellow Sigma Phi Epsilon brother.

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Chi Tau Waterworks Stunt Goes Bad

Feb 2, 2005: Matthew Carrington, 21, lost his life to a hazing incident involving the consumption of massive quantities of a normally safe substance: water. The incident occurred at California State University in Chico, CA. Carrington was a Chi Tau Fraternity pledge. The ritual included forcing the pledges to drink five gallons of water, pouring ice water on them and then making them stand in front of air conditioning fans, and doing push-ups while answering trivia questions about the fraternity.

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Even in Utah

November 2008: Utah State University, nestled in the beautiful mountains of Logan, Utah is not immune from binge drinking fatalities. 12 members of the Sigma Nu fraternity were charged in connection with the death of Micheal Starks. Starks died after imbibing a lethal amount of alcohol at only 18 years old.

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Oven Cleaner?

University of Delaware student Jeffery V. Furek suffered severe burns on his neck and head when caustic oven cleaner was poured over his scalp in a 1980 hazing rite. In 1987 he pressed charges against the university and frat member Joseph Donchez and Furek was awarded $30,000.

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Spilled Milk

Commuters on a Arizona freeway got quite the unexpected surprise on September 22, 2008. A group of Arizona State University Arizona State fraternity pledges were challenged to drink a gallon of milk in an hour and needless to say they lost. They lost it all over the freeway if you want to get into semantics. They vomited off the side of a footbridge into the traffic below and caused an accident. A passing motorist slammed on the brakes to avoid the upchuck, causing a woman following behind to rear end the stopped car. Luckily only the pledges prides was injured.

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Statistics

2.1 million: The amount of money in damages caused by frat house fires each year in the US. (National Fire Incident Reporting System) (NFIRS)

150: The number of estimated fires occurring in fraternity and sorority houses each year in the US. (NFIRS)

90: The percent of Fraternity members that reported drinking alcohol within the past 30 days, compared to 65 percent of other students, according to a North Carolina University study.

1: Number of reported fraternity house pet deaths. The Tau Kappa Epsilon house of University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, lost their beloved house dog, Axel, in an arson fire.

1: Estimated number of deaths caused by hazing each year since 1979, according to Hank Nuwer, author of Broken Pledges.

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Conclusion

These stories and statistics are alarming to say the least and we learn that although students might be able to get into Ivy League schools, they might not be able to avoid blatantly stupid decisions when challenged by the herd mentality. Online Classes anyone? When you earn your degree online nobody is going to force you to drink ridiculous amounts of water and your chances of dying in a house fire are significantly reduced. Think about it.

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of articles that have been dugg and that have been floating around some social communities out there. One example is “Education reform: Let’s start by burning all the textbooks”. This article discusses a focus on digital/electronic education and getting rid of textbooks. The great thing about digg is all the opinions that come to surface.

One argument seems to be the inability to provide all students with a laptop. There were a bunch of other arguments, but I thought I would run with that one, but focus on elementary school students. I decided to put together a list of laptops / notebooks / netbooks that I felt would work well for elementary schools students. Let’s face it, most teenagers now have a laptop or want their own so the biggest issue would be getting the elementary kids computers.

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Do you prefer wide open spaces over crowded city streets? Or maybe you favor the calm of the country hills to the intoxicating pulse of the city. Whatever your inclination might be, you are in luck. These days thanks to technology and the world-wide web, living in rural areas is easier to do.

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Every parent wants the very best for their children, but single parents are often faced with trying to accomplish that huge task with half the resources.

A recent study by the US Census Bureau reported that 79% of all single mothers work and 23.4% of all single-parent families are living below the poverty level. The discouraging connection between those two statistics is that the majority of parents who are working full or part-time are the same parents who are living below the poverty level.

Online college classes offer solutions, no matter what your family situation may be.

More and more single parents are attending colleges these days. In the last ten years the number of single parents enrolled in college classes has increased from 7% to 13% percent. As more single parents earn their college degrees, they make more money in their current jobs or find higher-paying positions. When you are equipped with sophisticated skills and extensive educational training, suddenly opportunities that seemed out of reach before are suddenly at your fingertips.

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