Everyone has time wasters that prevent them from getting work done. It may be unnecessary meetings, equipment breaking down, procrastination or disorganization. The more time you waste, the more stress you feel because you have less time to do your work. Here are some common time wasters and how to handle them.
Unnecessary meetings
Many meetings aren’t all that important, and they can waste a great deal of the work day. Sometimes communicating information via email, memos or instant messages is better. Think logically about the objectives of a proposed meeting and what goals you want to achieve. Evaluate whether you can meet them more efficiently in other ways.
One way to have a productive meeting is over a lunch break. CaterCow offers an office lunch program that makes this easy. Employees can order from a variety of meals and receive lunch boxes labeled with their names. Everyone can sit together and have an informal meeting. You’re more likely to get valuable input from others in a relaxed setting like this.
Interruptions
You usually face many interruptions in the course of a work day, such as email notifications, text messages, coworkers asking questions or phone calls you need to take or make. These interruptions may not seem like a big issue, but they can be distracting and make it difficult for you to get your work done, specifically work which requires maximum concentration.
Try to set up specific periods during your workday where you can focus without any interruptions. Turn off your cell phone, and put an ‘away’ message on Skype. Place a sign on your door to notify your colleagues to come back later.
Procrastination
The impulse to procrastinate is a major time-waster. You may find yourself constantly rescheduling tasks that you don’t really want to do or that are more challenging to do. You probably waste plenty of time worrying about these tasks and rescheduling them.
To avoid wasting time procrastinating, it is important to have the policy to tackle difficult tasks as soon as you can. This can make you more efficient over time and help you to overcome procrastination in the future.
Disorganization
If you work in a cluttered environment, you will not be as efficient. You may waste time searching for paperwork or trying to find files on your computer. When nothing is where it should be, you can’t possibly be efficient.
By decluttering your workspace and developing a more effective organizational system, you can save a great deal of time. Organize items you need all the time close at hand so that you have easy access to them whenever you need them.
Equipment issues
You probably use all kinds of equipment for your work such as computers, tablets, phones, printers etc. When the equipment does not function properly, it can be a great time waster. You may spend hours waiting for help from the I.T. department for a computer issue. Calling in someone to fix a printer is a real time-waster when you have important documents you need to print.
You can reduce equipment problems with regular maintenance and upkeep. Keep all the software on your computer up to date and regularly defrag it and back up documents.
Taking on coworkers’ responsibilities
If you constantly find yourself helping out coworkers, it can take up a significant amount of time. In a collaborative work environment, it is common for people to help one another. However, if you take on too much work from others, you won’t have the energy to complete your own work.
Try to set clear boundaries with coworkers regarding workflow. Set reasonable expectations about what you can and can’t handle.