Ever Been Distracted By Clip Art?

While finishing up the post from yesterday about what it is like to have ADD, I went to find a picture to go with the post.  I spent over 11 minutes on this screen. (I have an electronic timing software on my computer so I can bill clients for my work, and it catches everything.)

I didn’t find an image like the one I wanted.  Normally, that would have sent me off on an hour long search for better clip art, but I have implemented a rule for myself that when it comes to blog posts, I am only allowed to use Microsoft Clip Organizer for clip art.  It’s not that I think it is the best source of clip art, but I know that if I start looking at other sites, I’m going to find posts and links and pictures that intrigue me, and I will end up losing a lot of precious time by following and read each interesting item.

That is another example of what it is like to have ADHD.

Even with my rule, I still spent a crazy amount of time on that one screen.  Why?

It’s not like I remember every thought I had (ADD remember?) but I do remember some of them.  In no particular order, here is what caused my own ADD brain to get bogged down on this seemingly minor task.

• The two images at the top with the gold globe head look like skeletons, are they?
• Previewing the images says no, but they are really kind of cool.  I wonder if there is a way to search by who created the images because maybe there are a bunch of these and you could use them as a theme sometime on some project or website.
• Why is there an empty boardroom table, but not one with people around it?
• The cartoon ones in the middle aren’t even in a meeting.  There is just one of them, a boy one, and a girl one, holding a pen.  Doesn’t anybody proof these?  Maybe I should build a clip art gallery site.
• An empty movie theatre type room is not a meeting either.
• I wonder if Microsoft pays someone to draw these so they have a full clip-art thing?
• Maybe I should check another site…oh,wait, I’ll just get distracted – Hey, that would make a great Addessories post.
• Note, I was only supposed to write one post today.  I have other things with pressing deadlines waiting, and until I typed this sentence, I had forgot all about them.
• Don’t worry, they are on my task list that I printed this morning.
• And left on the printer.
• I should get it.
• Ok, now where was I?
• Oh, man, how much more time did you waste writing this post?
• Just finish up real fast.
• What else was I stalled by on the site?
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• .
• .
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• Oops.  Never mind, the word counter says almost 500 words.  Just sign off and get back to work.

Um…bye.  I have to go do…well, one of these things on the task list.

Now, I just need a clip art for this post…..

(Ed. note – there is no clip art because I was out of coffee and went to get some.  When I came back I wasn’t interested in this post anymore, so I used the time / task list as an excuse and just hit post instead.)