restroom productivity techniques

since as far as i can remember (possibly ever since i was toilet trained :D), i've always enjoyed time spent in the restroom. this is obviously in part due to the relief of...umm...relieving myself :P, but apparently there are a lot more reasons, described here in chronological order of their discovery by myself:

• mediation - nothing beats the peaceful atmosphere of the loo. it's comfortable, quiet (except for a few notable exceptions), and relatively free (again with notable exceptions)


• reading - discovered way back when i was in middle school, busy reading a novel that was too interesting to put down. since the only thing that could possibly drag me away from an interesting book is nature's call (the only one i really HAVE to answer :D), it seemed like a very natural solution. subsequent practice of reading newspapers in the train (when i reached college) made me skilled at reading the newspaper without a table, and without making a mess of the paper (much to my parents disgust, which they thankfully got over much later :P))


• playing hand held console games - again picked up for the same reasons and similar accident as reading, but with much greater naturality as these games are even harder to put down. it also has the side effect of making my brother keep his hands off my games. in retrospect, this one was really a no-brainer :P


• talking on the phone - probably more out of convenience than choice, but definitely a great efficiency booster. after all, i only have so many hours in a day, and crapping doesn't require me to use my brain or mouth. a classic case for multitasking, which probably set the stage for my career in computing that followed a few years later :P. this one was possible only after my folks got a cordless phone, and got even better when i got my own cellphone a few years later. thankfully i have many friends who are either deaf to the sound of flushing or don't mind the thought (again, exceptions abound, but they can usually be circumvented by intelligent use of the hold/mute button ;))


• gaming on my cellphone - same reasons as console gaming, but even better thanks to the variety of games available, ensuring that you can switch to another game once you get bored of one :D


• listening to music - discovered by happy accident, after hanging up on a hands-free call (the actual sequence is: i listen to music while traveling home, someone calls me on my way so i talk on my hands-free, and once i get home i just HAVE to go, so i'm in the 'room talking on my hands-free. once the call gets over the music resumes. voila...new discovery!). these days i listen to music while doing pretty much everything - sleeping, eating, showering (i kid you not!!! my trusty phone has a nice loudspeaker), and hence, restrooming :P)


• chatting - typically on yahoo, which has a pretty good WAP interface (i have an ancient cell :P) - this one more out of boredom than any pressing need (no puns intended ;))


• e-mailing - again, for same reasons as chatting, but more suited to restroom than chatting as it can be suspended while i address more pressing matters (like working off my cramps, or taking/making calls :D)


• sleeping - started off more out of chronic sleep deprivation than anyting else, but greatly gained importance and frequency once i started working. little known fact: 15 minutes of sound sleep on the can helps much better than an hour of wakeful dozing at my desk, however comfy, and definitely better than all the coffee i managed to down before i quit


• playing su-doku - definitely better than playing games on my cell (i dont have any other hand-held gaming devices, but the same philosophy applies). it also has a few other benefits, like being combined with newspaper reading, and beating my bro to grabbing the puzzles pages (which my brother and i invariably have a race for on holidays)


• blogging - this happened quite recently, when i realised i haven't been blogging as much as i wanted to, while i wasted hours of super-productive meditation time playing pool or worms world party on my phone


• tracking my finances - since i track my expenses on my phone, this is a perfect place to analyse how my money has been poured down the drain (no puns intended :P)


• and finally, for today's addition to the list: giving job interviews on international calls. 'nuff said.

disclaimer

the above post was *NOT* typed in the 'room, although i wish it was. (damn! another potentially saved hour!!!)

do not take this post as an excuse to ask me if i'm on the can every time i answer the phone. if you do, i shall use my discretion while replying. post-facto accusations will be met with the same response.