How to Stop Wasting Time

No matter how good your intentions are regarding productivity, there are hundreds of things that get in the way of accomplishing your goals. These interruptions can be caused by outsiders or by your own activities and attitudes. If you find yourself lacking enough time in a day to do everything that needs to be done, you should start evaluating your life and see what you can do to increase your productivity.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Evaluate your time wasters. These are activities you do on a regular basis that you don’t particularly enjoy and that don’t produce any significant benefits. This could be anything from sitting in front of the TV to waiting in line for an hour at the post office. Once you’ve identified the activities that take a good chunk of your time, you can take steps to change your behavior.

2. Do two things at once. You don’t need to stop watching TV to become more productive. Instead, try doing something else at the same time so you can make the most of the hours you spend in front of the screen. For example, you could try doing an ab workout during commercials or setting up your coffee table near the sofa so you can organize magazines or go through your bills while you’re watching your favorite show.

3. Find ways to do things faster. Rather than waiting in line at the post office, get a small scale and then buy your stamps online. Or start paying your bills online so you don’t need to find an authorized place to pay your electric or phone bill.

4. Maintain a to-do list. Write down everything you need to accomplish in any given day. Then write a second list with things that need to be done this week. You can simply list everything or you can organize your list in order of importance, with “must-do” items at the top. Once you see what needs to be done on paper, it’s actually easier to keep your mind on track.

5. Control your time on the Internet. If you find yourself spending hours surfing through forums, Web sites or social networking places, use a timer to set a limit and then walk away from it when the timer goes off. Or choose a specific time of the day to use the Internet and don’t go online outside of that time.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be afraid to disconnect the phone or close the office door if you need some time alone and want to avoid interruptions.