What are Your Time Wasters – Tick Tock Tuesday

When you stop and think about your day, what things can you think of that got in your way and slowed you down? I imagine some of the things you couldn’t control like traffic, a sick child, computer issues, etc. But there are some time wasters that we can control.

Even though I am a pretty organized person, I definitely have days where I have to ask myself, “What did I get done today?”

Usually when I start off my day without clear and defined goals of what I want to accomplish, then my day is not very productive. So for me, one of my biggest time wasters is unclear goals.

Here’s a list of 10 time wasters. See if you can spot any of these that you can relate to and then think of what you can do to change them.

1. Messy desk

2. Lack of focus

3. Juggling too many tasks at once

4. Too many interruptions

5. Open door policy

6. Too many phone calls

7. Lack of sleep

8. Unexpected guests

9. No clear goals

10. No set deadlines

I struggle with number 2,3,9 and 10. To keep myself focused I keep a running list on my desk. If I think of something that I don’t want to forget, I write is down. If I have a good idea for a blog post, I’ll write it down. If I remember something that my husband asked me to buy, I’ll write it down. Writing things down and getting them out of my head and onto paper helps keep me focused on the task at hand.

What time wasters do you struggle with and what do you think you can do to change it?