Avoid the Top 20 Time Wasters at Work

Time wasters are the pitfalls we can fall into if we’re not paying attention. They seem to lay in wait for us as we innocently go about our day and will rob you of time, energy, and focus if you let them. The only way to avoid time is to be aware that they exist and stay alert, ready to block or divert them.

We all have our own personal set of time wasters at work, the ones that trip us up frequently. What are yours?

Client Examples of Workplace Time Wasters

To help you start your list, here are a few common time wasters that my clients often include on their lists:

• Wasting too much time getting daily updates on routine activities as opposed to waiting for a more meaningful weekly summary.
• Jumping too eagerly into routine, straightforward work and putting off the more complex and difficult tasks.
• Not starting the more important work first thing in the morning.
• Not bothering to make up a schedule for each day.
• Scheduling each day so tightly that it becomes impossible to stay on track and the schedule quickly becomes meaningless.

Top 20 Time Wasters at Work

Many time wasters do their dirty work by wasting valuable time that could be used more productively. In his book The Time Trap, Alec MacKenzie identifies the following activities as the 20 biggest time wasters in the workplace:

1. Management by crisis

2. Telephone interruptions

3. Inadequate planning

4. Attempting too much

5. Drop-in visitors

6. Ineffective delegation

7. Personal disorganization

8. Lack of self-discipline

9. Inability to say no

10. Procrastination

11. Meetings

12. Paperwork

13. Leaving tasks unfinished

14. Inadequate staff

15. Socializing

16. Confused responsibility or authority

17. Poor communication

18. Inadequate controls and reports

19. Incomplete information

20. Travel

If any of these workplace time wasters give you trouble, add them to your own list of time traps. Now that you’re aware of their potential to derail your effectiveness, come up with a strategy for avoiding each trap. But don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed by trying to tackle your entire list all at once. Focus on just one or two each week and you’ll soon enjoy a big boost in your productivity and overall outlook.