How to Keep Yourself From Wasting Time
Part of working efficiently is having a firm grasp of time management. However, with the distractions that abound in the workplace, it's no wonder the average employee wastes up to an hour and a half in an eight-hour workday, according to a 2007 Gallup Work and Education poll. The top five time-wasting culprits include personal Internet use, socializing, conducting personal business, spacing out and running errands. While it may be impossible to avoid these things, you'll find that with a clearer sense of direction and responsibility, you won't let them get in the way.
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Instructions
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Write down long-term goals. These goals should follow the SMART formula and be specific, measurable, appropriate, realistic and time-bound. For example, if you're planning a networking event with another office, you can set a goal to send out invitations by the end of the week. Then the following week, your goal can involve collecting RSVPs.
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Break down your goals into priorities. Each day, you should determine which priority level to assign to each goal. An "A" would be a high-priority task that needs to be completed immediately, while a "B" or "C" can be put aside for later. You can also follow this strategy for complex tasks -- breaking them down into more manageable pieces, such as committing to writing five pages of a 20-page report.
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Make a pledge to work for a designated amount of time each day. Decide that you'll focus only on work for a certain period --- such as a half hour or an hour. During that time, shut off your personal email and close down your Internet browser. To make this window of time even more efficient, block off the time in your calendar and don't schedule anything else.
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Check email only at designated times of the day. The constant stream of email can easily throw you off track. To prevent this, set two or three times when you'll check email (such as 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.). Decide what to do with each email as soon as you receive it -- either take action, delete or forward to a folder for follow-up at a later time.
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Tidy up your workspace. Not knowing where to find essential items is another time-waster. Organize your desk, even if you have to give up your lunch hour to do so. Clean your keyboard and phone, and file loose papers in the appropriate folder. Display your to-do list in a prominent area, such as next to your computer, so you'll be able to stay on track.
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Be prepared to say "no." When someone drops by with an "urgent" request, defer to your own schedule. You could say something like, "I'll try to fit that in right after I go to the meeting this afternoon. Does that work?"
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Avoid socializing. If a coworker stops by to chat, tactfully point out the deadline you're working on and suggest a better time for the two of you to catch up. Or post a whiteboard outside your cubicle that asks people to leave messages when you're especially swamped.
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References
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