I can't deal with my co-workers, Liz. It's just too much! I work with slackers. Most of them are talented but their work ethic is horrible.
How so?
Our department takes care of creative projects for the rest of our company, which is a publishing company.
When one of my colleagues digs into something, like a design project, they do a great job with it. I have to give them that.

The thing is that when they finish a project, they take a long break. It could be an hour-long break!
They tune out. They get on YouTube. Some of them get on eBay or ESPN or they play solitaire online. They don't say "Okay, I finished that project, let me get started on the next one!" You've never seen slackers like these.
Why does your co-workers' behavior bother you? Does it slow you down?
No, it accelerates my heart rate if I'm honest about it! We work independently so my colleagues' slacker ways don't affect my work, but they irritate me.
They offend me from a work-ethic standpoint. I don't think it's right. I think people should come to work and do their work.
Is it just me? It's work! It's not their living room. Is this the new deal -- you work an hour and you take an hour off?
This issue is bothering you, I know. It is a big concern for you and that is stressful. I agree with you that people should do their work at work.
These days, though, it's not always obvious what constitutes work. Sometimes what looks from the outside like a long break is actually a part of the creative process.
It's work when someone is working -- writing something, researching something, in a meeting or working on a project. It's obvious -- the difference between working and goofing off.
BEAT.
You don't agree with me?
There are jobs where it is easy to tell what's work and what isn't. For instance, if I were working the cash register at a retail store and you were my supervisor and you happened to walk into the ladies room and I were in there dyeing my hair in the sink, you might ask me "What's up?"
I might say "I got sick of my hair color and this color was on sale so I wanted to color my hair now so I can go out tonight and look amazing."
Then you might say "That sounds like fun, but you've  been in here for thirty minutes and your break is only fifteen minutes long, and apart from that you're not supposed to color your hair in the sink in the ladies' room."
As my supervisor, you would know right away that I was confused about what my job required. You could see that I wasn't clear on what the company expected from me. In my cashier job, the company's number one expectation is that when I'm not on lunch or a break, I'm on my cash register checking out purchases.
There are other jobs where you can't tell what constitutes work and what doesn't.
When I worked with software people, sometimes I'd walk by someone's office when their door was open a sliver, and I'd see them staring at the ceiling. They were working! They were thinking.
We are in the Knowledge Economy now. Thinking is a critical piece of many jobs, but we undervalue it because it doesn't look from the outside like 'real' work.
Some jobs entail more thought than action. Maybe your designer co-workers work that way. Some people's best work happens in the background while they are doing something else -- doing push-ups or folding laundry or sleeping.
For some people, regular YouTube breaks are part of their workday equation.
Their engine won't run without those breaks, but their engine runs insanely well and contributes a lot to the team. The breaks and distractions are part of the deal. That's not being a slacker. A lot of people need that energy shift during the day. It's not a bad thing.
Are you saying people can be working while they're watching Youtube videos?
Quite possibly they are. People have amazing ideas in the shower and in their cars. They have to keep their batteries charged, and YouTube breaks let them do that.
Not everyone likes YouTube, of course. There are a lot of different ways to shake it up and recharge. Some people need to get up and walk around. Some people need to have a conversation. We all work differently.
I can't listen to music while I'm writing but when I finish a story or a book chapter, I want to listen to three or four songs. I need a music break. 
That's why you post songs on LinkedIn all the time.
You know it! Music is fundamental. We need music and art and movement around us. Little by little we are starting to remember that people don't work the same way machines do. 
So you don't think I should say anything to my slacker co-workers -- or report them?
Walk down both paths in your mind. In one scenario, you become the police of who's working and who's wasting time, and try to make those tiny distinctions for everyone else, although you are not their supervisor.
Once you've decided what constitutes work and what doesn't, you can try to get your co-workers to adjust their work habits to suit you. 
That seems like a tough assignment, and no fun either. It seems like a big mojo suck that will only hurt your relationships with your workmates and achieve nothing good.
You could report your co-workers to your manager when you don't think they're working. Will that be good for your flame, or your team's mojo? I can't imagine how it would be.
Okay. I see what you're saying. What's down the other path?
On the other path you look more deeply into how you and your colleagues create work (which is art!) together and how all of you function best.
You make your collaboration style or independent working styles a topic for discussion. You share ideas and learn from one another.
That's a great topic for a team meeting, or a whole series of meetings. People have different work styles, and different creative styles. You can talk about that with your teammates!
The trust level on your team will grow when you actively discuss your environment, your communication and how everyone is feeling about the work and the workplace.
That is a really interesting point. Our manager Cecily asked us each to bring a topic to our next team meeting -- a topic that it would be good for us to talk about.
The topic can be simple -- just ten minutes of open discussion on "How is our team doing?"
"How is our team doing?" I'm going to bring up that topic! Maybe I'm being too harsh on my colleagues. The world is changing so fast!
It's true - the world is changing fast! Together we are growing new muscles and reinventing work for people. I can't wait to hear about your meeting. I predict it will be one of your best meetings yet! 
Questions and Answers

Where are the images that usually appear in Liz Ryan's stories?

There is an issue with the LinkedIn text editor right now that is keeping images from appearing correctly inline with text. Here are a few of the images that were intended for this story!