Time is always ticking, and you need to know how to manage it to make the most of it. The following is a list of some of the most common time-wasting habits and what you can do about them.
Time waste due to disorganization
When you are disorganized, you will be unable to find things you need quickly. This can waste a lot of your time, and it can hinder your productivity as well. You need to start being organized by first ensuring that you have decluttered your home and work environment. This will ensure you can save time and do what truly matters to you.
You are not writing things down
One of the time-wasting habits that most people have is not writing things down. When you write what you need to do, you know what you have to do. This gives you a clear direction that you need to take. When you don’t write things down, you will forget and then try recalling which takes longer.
Allowing interruptions
Whether you work from home or go to your office, you are going to be bombarded with lots of interruptions and distractions. These waste a lot of your precious time. You need to think of ways in which you can control the interruptions and distractions so that they don’t cause a loss of productivity on a regular basis.
Multi-tasking as a time waste
One of the most time-wasting habits that not many are willing to accept is multi-tasking. Many must be gasping because multi-tasking has always been a way to get things done fast. But it doesn’t. When your attention is divided among many things, then you are going to be unable to do each of the tasks efficiently. This can be a total waste of time.
Unable to say no
Sometimes you have to be harsh because time is valuable. You have to say no when you do not have the time. If you are someone who always ends up saying yes to others requests, then remember you won’t be able to do what you want to do. Instead, you will be busy completing the tasks of others. Learn to say no from today.
Procrastinating
This is another one of time-wasting habits that end up taking up a lot of your time. If you love to procrastinate then remember you are probably wasting hours on end doing nothing productive. Instead, try to start tasks when you get them by scheduling and ensuring that you finish. Everything left to the last minute is just not fun.
Not setting goals
Goals help you define what you need to get done. If you do not have goals, then you are just scrambling, and this can be a total time waste. Don’t do that. Instead, think about what you are hoping to achieve and then work towards that. Not only will your task be much more comfortable but you will be moving in the right direction.
Perfection is one of the time-wasting habits
Are you a perfectionist? While a perfectionist sounds cool to hear, it is not so cool when you spend many hours just doing a task that could take up to an hour. Being a perfectionist is not rewarding because it is one of the most time-wasting habits as you tend to spend more time than necessary. You can always give your best but don’t spend a lot of time perfecting anything.
Not streamlining
When you have lots of ideas, you can feel productive but at the same time disorganized. It is crucial that you streamline and ensure that you know what it is that you are supposed to do. Instead of over-doing anything, you can start with a little bit at a time. Streamlining helps your life become more organized, and you will waste less time this way.
Disrespecting deadlines
Deadlines are there for a reason. This is one of the time-wasting habits that many people have gotten so used to that it feels natural to them. If you are one of those people, then it is time to start respecting deadlines and ensure that you complete work way before deadlines. You will have extra time at hand in this way.
Burn out as a time waste
When you are exhausted, you are unable to give your best. Not only will you have a hard time thinking but you will waste a lot of time in the process. You can start taking breaks in between while you work so that whenever you work, you are working efficiently. This will help you to relax every once in a while, and you will not feel exhausted.
Not prioritizing
When you have priorities, you know what you need to give your attention to. Those who do not prioritize have one of the worst time-wasting habits because, without priorities, you are just lost. You need to sit down and start thinking about your priorities. You can then make decisions based on that so that you are spending your precious time where you should.
Running after shortcuts
Everyone wants to know the shortcuts to do something, and many utilize this time-wasting technique. While there are many things where you can use alternatives, it is not a good idea to look for shortcuts everywhere. You will end up spending more time rectifying the mistake, so a shortcut doesn’t necessarily always save time.
You are not facing what you fear.
This slightly ties into the procrastination point where you are postponing what you can do now. When you keep the worst for the last, you will not only waste your time but your energy as well. It is a good idea to face what you fear and complete it first so that your stress levels are not mounting and you can work while being relaxed.
Complaining is one of the time-wasting habits
If there is something that is on the top time-wasting habits, then this is one of them. When you complain you are draining your energy, to begin with, and you are wasting your time that you can spend doing something else. If you appreciate more or do things instead of complaining, then you are going to get a lot of stuff done.
Inability to delegate
You may think that you are the only person who can do things well but are you sure about that? If you have the habit of doing everything for everyone yourself, then you are going to burn out. You need to learn how to delegate so that you are not stuck doing everything yourself.
Expecting the worst
You should never expect the worst because it takes away your time and you end up worrying. Worrying is another one of the most time-wasting habits that you can have. You need to stop worrying because you are not getting anything done. Instead, you are merely wasting your time that you could have spent doing something else.
Checking notifications constantly
You know how it goes. The moment a message notification is shown you want to pick up your phone and read it. Or the moment your mailbox shows a new message, you want to read it right away. This can be interrupting and waste your time. You need to stop doing that and ensure you only check notifications at certain times only.
Now you know what is hindering you, you can ensure you do not waste any more time! Change your habits to change your life.
