Distractions

Phones, Facebook, Twitter, email, and much more, all are things that distract people; including me. My story begins in eighth grade when I got my first phone. With the phone in my possession, amazed by the fact that you could text people and get a response within minutes, forgot about school. With a grade average of a 95 that moment, I managed to lower it to an 85 within a week. Without even noticing I continued school thinking I was doing well, until I got my first test score. I didn't realize that something as simple as a phone could strip me of my ability to study, get my work done, and concentrate. All I could think about was how ridiculous all of it was. I was permanently stuck in this "sinkhole." That was my short story and I'm going to tell you how to steer clear from that sinkhole that so many have fallen into.

First step is to turn everything off, computer, phone, iPad, iTouch, and all that fancy technology out these days. This simple strategy has helped and continues to help me in what seems like a million situations everyday. It almost gives you a relief to know that you don't need to rush back to the phone, the computer, and everything else and respond to a beep or buzz. Beyond that, it helps your mind concentrate on what your doing. This supposed "multi-tasking" doesn't work for anyone no matter how smart you are. Trying to text, respond to an email, and get your work done all at the same time almost always ends up in a disaster.

Second step is to have designated times to do what you want instead of mixing them into your "work time." With this in mind, you know that if you get your things done well, that you can finally take a break afterward. I've realized that when you have distractions all around you, tasks that should normally take 20 mins are taking three hours. Believe it or not, I'm not even exaggerating. This is reality, and having separate times to do work and play is the best solution.

My last suggestion is simply to let go. Many people get so used to feeling the need to engage in distractions that they forget how to actually focus. This is an easy problem to fix. After talking to many people I know, just playing music in the background or fiddling with a pen while your working takes away that constant "empty feeling."

That's my perspective on things and I hope it helps those who struggle with parting themselves from distractions.

This is brought to you by Christopher, a happy Apple user.

Apple vs. PC

When it comes to the issue on whether to decide on an Apple product or the obvious alternative, PC, it's all up to the buyer. Yes there are firm believers on either side of the argument, but there's obvious differences in products; price, format, and quality.


Price for most people is very important, and that's something I stand by. The hard decision is whether to spend $700 on a great PC, or $1000 on the lowest version of a Mac. From personal experience, Mac has continued to amaze me, but all PC users continue to rave about the new Windows 7. With all the fun and interesting programs that mac has to offer included within the price such as iLife, this really adds a bonus to the functionality as well as an incentive to pay that little extra money.


Format is what really gets to be a controversial topic between people who need to decide between the two highly competing companies. Yes, PC users as of now, are most of the public, but the small percentage that Apple Inc. holds is still a very large number of individuals. With the operating system that Macs run, it has a simple, easy to use, layout that most, if not all users enjoy. When it comes to PC and all the companies that are under that platform, it's all just about the same; simple, clear, and a tad harder to use than a mac. Yes I'm saying this only because I've had the opportunity to use both a PC and a Mac for most of my life and there's an obvious winner.

To show the winner, I'm going to move onto the topic of quality. This is where the real differences bounce off the page at the buyer. The very sleek and astonishingly simple design that all Macs have, blow most buyers away. Between the iMac(desktop), the Macbook, and the Macbook Pro all three of these computer models are simple. For instance, for the iMac, there's only a single cord vs. the PCs and the what seem like a million cords cluttering your workspace. I know that many PCs have tried to compete with that "simple" design,  but honestly still haven't mastered it as well as Macs have. The materials are fabulous, but that's what you get for the extra price you pay. Now PCs have the plastic. I'm sure there are many variations and I will support Sony, Dell, and HP in that the quality is great. I hear many people enjoy it and I'll stand by there point of view.

Now it's up to the buyer, what do you really want and need in a computer? For most, it's a simple and easy answer, "I just want it to work!" This is something that everyone needs to take into consideration. Macs, no matter how much software you load up on them, don't ever slow to a speed anywhere near what PCs seem to. My family had a PC for six years and we all continue to say that it was our worst purchase. Within a year from the day we bought it, it slowed to a speed that would deter anyone from staying on it.

That's what I think, now you have to decide.

This is brought to you by Christopher, a happy Apple Inc. user.