"A survey released last week by America Online and Salary.com says average workers in the United States 'waste' at least twice the amount of time that employers expect, costing some $759 billion in unproductive salaries. This is a juicy story because it's a narrative about workers who are practically stealing from their employers.

The survey shows the insurance industry with the most waste -- some 2.5 hours a day -- and Missourians show the least output, frittering away 3.2 hours a day.

To me, slacker that I am, that statement ought to be the headline. We work better -- smarter -- when we veer off course. The human mind isn't as efficient when we do the same thing over and over. We need to look out the window, talk to our colleagues and, heaven forbid, come up with a new idea out of the blue."

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Mark Trahant: I'll address productivity, but first ... (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 7/17)

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