The Top 10 Time Wasters

There are many time wasters that will really eat into our time if we allow them
to. To free up our time we need to identify those time wasters, decide what we w
ant to do about them and then The Top 10 Time Wasters
There are many time wasters that will really eat into our time if we allow them
to. To free up our time we need to identify those time wasters, decide what we w
ant to do about them and then take action.
1. Lack of planning, prioritizing and focus.
Without these, we'll find ourselves drifting and working in a scattered and disj
ointed way, and not spending time on what's most important to us. We'll end up w
orking on activities that aren't moving us towards our vision and if this is so,
it's not an effective way to spend our time. We'll feel directionless and our p
roductivity will drop. When we're not fully focused in the moment, we inhibit th
e momentum required to be effective and to get things done faster and more easil
y.
2. Procrastination.
Putting things off wastes not only our time but also our energy and thoughts. Wh
en we procrastinate, much time is spent thinking and worrying about the things w
e need to do. We give ourselves hard time for not doing them and therefore we're
unable to spend our time effectively, especially when crunch time arrives and w
hat we've been procrastinating over finally has to be done.
3. Interruptions.
This may be the telephone, people dropping into our office, unanticipated events
or visitors, anything that stops what we're doing. Interruptions prevent us fro
m being focused; they pull us away from important things at that moment. Time is
wasted when we allow different areas of our life to overlap into each other. Fo
cus and time are lost when we allow our work and personal life to interrupt each
other. The same goes for the different things we're working on. Keep them separ
ate and don't allow them to interfere with each other. Focus on each specific th
ing at a time.
4. Lack of delegation.
It's a real waste of our time to think we need to do everything and no one ever
does it as good as we. We'll end up doing too much and having insufficient time
to focus only on what we're really good at, our gifts, strengths and ability. We
miss out on leveraging our time by not delegating people to carry out our basic
and routine tasks.
5. Meetings.
Meetings can be a time waster if there isn't a specific reason, agenda and timef
rame for holding them. It's too easy to fall into the habit of holding meetings
without realizing that some of that time could be spent more effectively. A smal
l amount of time clarifying the need and reason for the meeting could save a lot
of time in the long run.
6. Crisis management, firefighting.
When we're running around like a headless chicken, too much time is wasted throu
gh a lack of effectiveness. We're not focused and working on what's important. T
here are too many urgent items getting in the way. Because we're in such a hurry
, things are not done well and often come back to bite us, wasting more time whe
n we need to redo it.
7. Telephone, email and Internet.
These can also be interruptions and as with meetings, it's easy to spend quite a
bit of time on the telephone or internet without any real reason or intention.
Time is wasted when we don't make the best use of the time, when we're unclear a
bout what we want to get out of what we're doing and when we stray off the point
and drift. It's so easy to justify to ourselves that we're working hard when in

fact what we're doing may serve no useful or effective purpose at all. It may b
e just a distraction.
8. Not saying 'No'.
Taking on too much puts pressure on us and prevents us from working at our best.
Not working at our best and most effective means everything takes longer and mo
re of our time is stolen from us. We don't value our time and we don't decide ho
w we want to spend it and therefore, we allow others to make that choice for us.
We're not going to spend our time effectively if we allow others to ask too muc
h of us.
9. Lack of organization and untidiness.
Clutter zaps our energy and not only leaves us less able to work effectively, bu
t wastes time as we try to sort through it. We may find ourselves looking throug
h the same clutter time and again. Clutter can be a distraction for us and anyth
ing that distracts doesn't allow for effective use of our time. When we lack org
anization, much time can be spent doing the same thing repeatedly or because the
re aren't the necessary systems or processes in place. Not simplifying robs us o
f our time.
10. Not enough time-off or time for ourselves.
We need to step back, evaluate and re-energize ourselves in order to be effectiv
e. Many people 'try' to do more and more thinking they're using their time bette
r. But in actual fact, this can often result in being less productive and not wo
rking on what's most im-off or time for ourselves, our health.