Facebook at Work and other High Crimes and Misdemeanors

It happens every now and again, I'll meet up with an old classmate or a friend (who I'm also a Facebook friend with) and, as it does, the conversation turns to work:

Friend: "So how's work going?"

Me: [Something non-committal or tongue-in-cheek like:] "Well, they haven't fired me - yet!"

Friend: "I see you on Facebook a lot during the day."

Me: ....

You caught me.  I go on Facebook during work. I know, I know, it is unfathomable that during a nine-hour workday I might take 5-10 minutes to write up a quick post about something I found to be interesting, funny, or otherwise noteworthy (that isn't to say it is). I do admire your slavish dedication to your work, and I am sure your day is completely devoid of any non-work related activities such as web-surfing, texting, personal phone calls, smoke breaks, coffee breaks, personal business, errands, water cooler gossiping, and the like. Although I suppose the difference between my Facebook posting and any of those activities is that I would have no evidence that you were doing any of them. For all I know, you are a busy little bee at work, busting your ass for the bottom line. I tip my hat to you, you obedient cog in the machine of corporate productivity.

So, yeah, you're full of shit.  First of all, you see me on Facebook?  And how is it that you are seeing me? Are you checking your newsfeed after work, looking at the timestamp on my status, and doing the math?  If so, I'm flattered by your stalker-like fascination with me.  You are definitely an anomaly, judging by my blog stats; the world could use more of you. But more likely you see these statuses because you, yourself, are on Facebook during the day too. Granted, you are smart enough not to post anything, lest your moral superiority be compromised.  Well, judging by the amount of ignorance that permeates my Facebook feed, that does take a certain amount of self control, so kudos.

But let's cut the crap, can we? Of employees between the ages of 18 and 35, approximately 73 percent reported spending time inappropriately at work on a daily basis. And, of course, that's just those with the stones and/or the self-awareness to admit they are doing so. Some cite that they feel underutilized at work. That's not a common theme for associates at law firms. Rather, I would posit the real reason for such mental restlessness is that such behavior is completely natural.

Those who study these things have known for a long time that your brain craves downtime. The linked article from Scientific American is very interesting:

To summarize, Americans and their brains are preoccupied with work much of the time. Throughout history people have intuited that such puritanical devotion to perpetual busyness does not in fact translate to greater productivity and is not particularly healthy. What if the brain requires substantial downtime to remain industrious and generate its most innovative ideas? "Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets," essayist Tim Kreider wrote in The New York Times.

The article is admittedly geared more toward taking more substantial breaks from work -- days, weeks, or (gasp) months as opposed to the ADHD-like tab opening that comprises most of my goofing off at work. But I would argue that such activity is no less necessary to my mental health, and ultimately my ability to think clearly and creatively, abilities that are vital to most professions, but definitely the law. Just like manual laborers must take breaks to rest, more cerebral (or at least sedentary) laborers must do the same.  Your muscles can't work for nine hours straight, neither can your mind.

And the mind is much more fickle than any other muscle.  Sometimes you have to kick it in the cerebellum every five minutes to keep it going; sometimes, once it starts, you can't stop it.  Much better to embrace our mental rhythms and work with them, instead of against them, don't you think?  And if you agree, why don't you share this on Facebook? #shameless