GUEST AUTHOR BLOG: Wasted Time: The Cost of Porn in the Workplace by George N. Collins, MA, author of "Breaking the Cycle: Free Yourself from Sex Addiction, Porn Obsession, and Shame."
Breaking the Cycle
Statistics from Nielsen Onlineshow that at least twenty-five percent of the seemingly hard-working people hunched over computers in their cubicles are actually looking at porn.
Maybe you’re one of them.
What you might not know is that time wasted on porn while at work not only costs American businesses a ton of capital, it may be stopping you from increasing your personal income.
In my counseling practice, Compulsion Solutions, which focuses exclusively on sexual addiction, I have seen countless men waste thousands of hours a year on porn and other sexually compulsive behaviors.
In fact, I was a sex addict myself and estimate that my compulsion costs me over five hundred thousand dollars in wasted man-hours. Wasted time costs not only income but career advancement, movement to a job that might be better suited, and possibly even business relationships.
For a porn devotee, almost everything else takes a back seat.
At this point you might be wondering, “So what if one-quarter of the people where I work are looking at porn online during working hours? What can I do about it?” I have seen men turn their lives around by learning to understand and deal with their sexual compulsions. They start living more fulfilling personal lives, and often make new career choices, sometimes increasing their incomes by millions of dollars.
If you want to do something right now that isn’t a waste of time, one of the ways to help yourself that I talk about in my book, "Breaking the Cycle: Free Yourself from Sex Addiction, Porn Obsession, and Shame", is to create a ritual. For example, I use what I call the beard test. Whenever you find yourself wanting to watch porn or act on a sexual compulsion, run your hand across your face, feel the stubble of your beard, and realize that you’re no longer a kid with peach fuzz.
You’re man, and can start acting like one.
Use that information, and also be compassionate with yourself. But be relentless, too. Taking even one step towards freedom from sexually compulsive behavior can help you get back to work, and maybe even make more money.
George N. Collins, MA, is the author of "Breaking the Cycle: Free Yourself from Sex Addiction, Porn Obsession, and Shame" and Director of Compulsion Solutions
Email me at bullishonbooks@cnbc.com — And follow me on Twitter @BullishonBooks