Time Wasters

There’s always so much written about time management and how to squeeze more into your day, or which planner will keep you most organized or how to be the most productive (like only touching a piece of paper once before you reconcile it).

But what about all the ways you waste time?

Here are my top five time wasters:

Social media. I had to start with the obvious so we could just get it out of the way and move on. Yes, even the ten minutes you scroll between appointments or first thing in the morning could be put to better use. Besides, be honest, when have you ever limited yourself to a quick ten minutes? (Those same ten minutes will be useful further down on this list.)

If social media is necessary to build you business, or if you consider it a form of entertainment (like you would watching a movie or reading a book) schedule the time to scroll and set a time limit. Honor the limit.

Indecision. In my first chapter as a business owner, I interviewed hundreds of salespeople. One of my favorite interview questions was: you’re going to attend a wedding. You already have the dress. You’ve set aside the entire day on Saturday to shop for shoes. You head to the mall and in the very first store you find exactly what you’re looking for (in your size! And they’re comfortable!) Do you A) buy them and go home? or B) keep looking because you set aside the whole day so you might as well make sure there’s not something better?

Anyone who answered “B,” did not get the job. Do you agree that she was willing to waste her entire day? If she had purchased the shoes in the first store that were exactly what she had in mind, she would have, essentially, given herself the gift of probably six hours. When was the last time someone gave you the gift of six hours? Think of everything you could accomplish in six hours!

Even if you want to argue, maybe she enjoys shopping! That’s a different scenario – then, by all means, enjoy the day. But to keep looking for alternatives for something that you’ve already found: a total time waster. Have the courage to make a decision and don’t look back – only forward at how fabulous you will look in your new dress with your perfect new shoes.

Indecision is different than procrastination. Similar, but different. If you were a procrastinator, you would never have planned to set aside the day to look for shoes. Instead, you would have waited until the last minute, stressed yourself out, and possibly ended up wearing something from your closet that was less than ideal and which, didn’t make you feel fabulous.

Autopilot. Have you every driven somewhere only to arrive and wonder how you got there? The car seemed to know the way while you spaced out. Rather frightening, if you really think about it. What did you miss along the way?

If happiness is enjoying the passage of time, then being on autopilot robs you of that enjoyment. Maybe it’s a bit of a stretch to call it a time waster, but if you’re not present, then what’s really being wasted are the opportunities. Wasted opportunities come with their own cost. Missed potential. Long ago in 1748, Benjamin Franklin reminded us that “time is money.” Can you see where I’m going here? Money. Time. Missed opportunities and their associated costs. Wasting time is defined as engaging in useless activities. When you’re on autopilot you’re not even present enough to discern what’s useless or not. So, the potential for wasting time is far greater than when you’re present and deliberate in your actions.

Doing it all yourself. One word: delegate. The author is unknown, but this quote is a valid example: “I’m too busy mopping the floor to turn off the faucet.”

Play to your strengths. Where do you add the most value? Are you better at mopping the floor, or turning off the faucet? Business is a team sport. Even if you’re a solopreneur, you still need help. There are simply not enough hours in the day to do all that needs to be done and do it well and do it successfully. Doing things that can easily be done by others is a waste of your time. If money is an issue, learn the art of bartering.

Several years ago, I took on the role of Team Mom for my son’s D1 lacrosse team. I was Team Mom for his high school team too, but Division 1 at the collegiate level was an entirely new ballgame (no pun intended!) I was given very little instruction – and just to add to the intensity, I was doing it from 1,000 miles away.

I spent the first year doing all the jobs myself. Very methodically. As soon as I had a grasp on what was required, I recruited someone to take it over. By the end of that first year, all the positions were filled. Parents were happy to help! (Most people are very willing to help – they just prefer to be told exactly what to do and without doing the job myself first, I was not in a position to lead.) I played to my strengths: I’m very organized so my strength, the best use of my time, was managing all the moving parts.

Disorganization. It’s the wisdom of Ben Franklin again: “A place for everything and everything in its place.” When was the last time you wasted your time looking for something you use every day – your keys? Your glasses? Was it a one-off? Or is this a familiar source of frustration? Can you feel precious minutes just draining away?

The same is true for the information you need to do your job. That contact’s name, that file, that email. Whether your files are the old fashioned paper variety that you keep in a drawer or the electronic version, it’s still important to have them organized in such a way that you know where to find what you’re looking for.

Instead of wasting those ten minutes on social media (see the first time waster), use those same ten minutes to clear out a file. First take thirty minutes and make a list of all the files that need attention. Keep that list handy. When you find yourself with an extra ten minutes (the client is running late, you’re on hold, the meeting ended early, etc.) pull out that list and tackle one of those files.

Real quick – are you a sticky note junkie? Is it working for you? If not, get yourself a nice notebook – yes, a real paper one, and write your notes in there instead. Date the top of each page, including the year. You’ll save time searching for the note that decided to no longer stick and blew across the floor when someone walked by your desk.

Is your biggest time waster on this list? Which one? What one, simple thing could you do, starting today, to keep those minutes? If it’s not on this list, what is your biggest time waster? Let’s solve it together!