This Year, Stop Wasting Time!

Time is one of your most valuable commodities. Yet most people dedicate a lot of their time wasting it.

If you assume that someone wastes 5 minutes a day over a 5-day work week for 52 weeks of the year (assuming no time is taken off for vacations, of course), that would equal to a little over 21 hours of lost time.

Let’s face it, most people waste more than five minutes a day. So most people are losing out on more hours lost that could have been spent learning, growing, prospecting, selling, and making profits.

If you even gain back 5 minutes each day, you will have progressed towards achieving your goals. So learn to take back control of your time and be more productive.

Limit your time on unplanned phone calls. These steal your time without you even realizing it. If the call is important, sure. But if the call is taking longer and eating away time you have allocated for another task, let the person know that you have another appointment and suggest an alternate time to continue the call. (Pen the alternate time in your diary or calendar so you don’t forget.)

Limit your time on e-mails. Check them twice or thrice a day and respond immediately rather than procrastinate. Leaving mail opened but answered will linger in your mind and divert your focus from the task at hand.

With e-mails on your phone these days, this becomes increasingly difficult. The device going ‘ping’ on your desk demands attention. You look away from your work, pick up the phone and become engrossed in the small screen and the seeming treasures it has to offer. Remember that you have the phone and e-mail system for your convenience. Discipline yourself so you can finish the work at hand before you check the phone.

Facebook at work unless it is for work is a definite no. Your social media connections are your personal business and should be taken care of in your personal time. Limit the use of social media to lunch breaks or check them after the work day is done.

Make a schedule. People swear by the Pomodoro Technique (work in 25 minute intervals interspersed with breaks of 3-5 minutes). Find out what works best for you. Breaking your task down into steps and focusing on each step will ensure that you get more done.

Learn to say no. Taking on too many things at once will also divert your attention and you could be approaching one task while thinking about the other. Your diverted attention will mean that you will take longer to complete the task, quality of work will be affected, and you will be dissatisfied. Completing a task well gives you a sense of accomplishment and the positive feeling gives you energy to do more; doing badly will leave you dejected and your future work will also be affected negatively.

You may be tempted to pop your head up and share something with a colleague. This would not only waste your time but their time as well. If you have something important to discuss, schedule some time with them. If it is office gossip or last night’s game, wait till both of you are on your lunch break.

Learn to take control of your time so you can take control of your work. Giving better inputs will result in better outputs.