3 Tips For Hiding Your Computer Screen at Work

3 Tips For Hiding Your Computer Screen at Work

The modern office presents a unique problem. The same
technology you use to do work is the same technology you use
to have fun: a computer with high-speed Internet access.

Back when office equipment consisted of a typewriter and
a mimeograph machine, there weren't as many temptations. But
now, from the comfort of your cubicle you can instant message
with buddies, check sports scores, shop for new shoes, watch
silly videos on YouTube, read The New York Times from cover
to cover, play videogames and e-mail your grandma.

What's a cubicle slave to do? You have to learn the
time-honored techniques for keeping your online
procrastination a secret. The most important trick is to hide
any chat windows or Web browser windows that contain
non-work-related activities at the first hint that your boss
is approaching.

Here are three simple ways to keep your screen to yourself.


1: Direct to Desktop

The easiest way to get any suspicious windows off your screen
(and fast!) is to go straight to the desktop. On Windows PCs,
the shortcut is "Windows Key" + D. On a Mac running OS X, just
press the F11 key. Now, the only drawback here is that your
boss might be wondering why you're just sitting there staring
at your desktop. Pretend you're looking for a folder, or pick
up the phone and start randomly dialing.


2: The Old Switcheroo

If you're going to be chatting or surfing non-work sites,
make sure that you keep at least a couple of other
work-related programs and applications open. This way you can
quickly switch back to an open Word document or Excel
spreadsheet when the boss's head suddenly pops over the cube
wall. The best way to quickly toggle between open application
windows on a PC is by holding down the Alt + Tab keys. On
a Mac, it's the "Open Apple" + Tab keys.

3: The Boss Button

Believe it or not, there are several programs available for
download that'll instantly hide all of your open browser or
application windows. These programs -- sometimes called
a Boss Button -- can be configured to activate when the user
presses certain keys or drags his cursor into a certain
corner of the screen. What's nice about some of these
programs is that you can tell them which applications to
close and which to leave open in the event of an emergency.
For example, if your boss walks up, you can leave open Excel
and PowerPoint, but close AOL Instant Messenger, Limewire,
iTunes and Second Life.

At the end of the day, of course, you're not really tricking
anybody. If your boss suspects you of fooling around during
work hours, all he has to do is ask your systems
administrator to open a log of all your online activities. So
if you're going to spend half the day tinkering with your
fantasy baseball lineup, at least get your work done first.
And who knows, your boss might have a boss button, too.