Looking at the headline, you might say, “My day was very productive! I’m very organized. I accomplished everything I set out to do!”
If you truly operate that way, then you’re in the minority. Most people become frustrated with days that aren’t as productive as originally intended. Put simply, we would prefer to get more done.
The purpose of this article is to identify America’s Top 10 Time Waters. They may not match your list exactly, but we trust many items on the list are also common with you.
Crisis Management – Ever feel that you’re leaving a trail of unfinished projects, unreturned phone calls, unread e mail, partially completed reports? Sometimes crises are imposed by others; boss, clients etc.
More often, crises arise from a job we left unfinished to work on another unfinished task. Another term for crisis management is “fire fighting.” Even more insidious is the crisis caused by failing to make a decision or take an action that would have prevented the crisis in the first place. Most of this is really caused by losing focus of the true priorities. We must learn to tell the difference between “urgent” and “important”.
The Telephone – We spend about 2.5 hours each day on the phone, averaging 12-14 calls a day. About 20 percent of that time on the phone is wasted. Common culprits are wandering phone calls, forgetting some of the important issues, or calling every time we think of the next topic.
On average, an unplanned phone call takes five minutes longer than one that has been planned. Planning a phone call can be as easy as a 30 second outline of what you want to say – That is, list the questions that you want to ask and the points you want to make. Without those few seconds of planning, you’re costing your company an hour a day. Don’t be afraid to say “Hey, John, I’d love to hear more about that project, but I’ve got to get to a meeting. Can you get to the point, or should we talk about it alter?”
Lack of Priorities – We accomplish the most when we know exactly what we want to accomplish. Unfortunately, too many think goals and objectives are yearly items and not daily considerations. The results are the days spent majoring in the minors. Plan your day.
Try to do too Much – Many of today’s high performers seem to have a common thread: The “Superman/Superwoman” ideal; -i.e., taking on everything and trying to get it done by tomorrow. Success or failure seems to be measured by the state of busyness. We know that we can’t do justice to everything at once and we often don’t have perspective of all we have going on. Focus on what counts.
Drop-In Visitors – The five deadliest words in today’s office are “Do you have a minute?” Everyone’s the culprit, colleagues, clients, family, friends, superiors, subordinates…. they all want a piece of you! Close your door and put a do not disturb sign on it, work at home, hide, or just say “No.”
Ineffective Delegation – Good delegation is a key skill for managers, yet the average manager spends 45 percent of their time on tasks that could be done by a staffer. “I can do it better and faster.” you say. Sure you can, but ultimately, you are judged on what you can cause to happen, not just what you can do on your own. As a general rule of thumb, in non-critical cases, if another person can accomplish a task 80 percent as well as you, delegate.
The Messy Desk – Do you have “desk stress?” Is your desk or credenza piled with pending and unfinished work? The average Businessperson spends three hours each week looking for things plus two hours being distracted by the stuff lying around. Do you still use the “archaeological dig” method of filing? Does your peripheral vision keep everything in mind, causing constant distractions? Are you always saying “I know it’s here somewhere!” Put it away, file it, delegate it or trash it. The most effective people work from a clean desk.
Procrastination – The big “P” the “thief of time,” is not decision making but decision avoidance. “I’ll take care of it when I get around to it.” The average employee spends 45 days a year procrastinating; stalling, holding on to projects, redoing reports, putting it off till a better time. There’s even a Procrastinators club. Their newsletter is called “last month’s newsletter.” By reducing procrastination, you can substantially increase the available time in your day. Do it now!
Inability to Say NO! – What a unique idea! Those around your will give you all the work you are willing to take. This is true in both our business and personal lives. Some of the most stressed people around can’t say no to the next fund-raiser, the next committee, the Little League, the church, etc., etc. Politely, but firmly say “No.”
Meetings – The typical manager spends 17 hours each week in meetings, plus 6.3 hours getting ready for those meetings. Nearly a third of that time in meetings is wasted. That works out to be about six full weeks of your year useless meeting time. You’ve seen the symptoms: hastily called meetings, no ending time stated, no agenda, no officially record of what was done or said, no follow-up. If even one hour per week is saved, it could mean two additional effective work days per year! Decide in advance how much time you’ll spend on a business meeting. Let the others know exactly how much time you have available. That way people condense their points, and you get to that good stuff faster. The 8/20 rule certainly applies here: 20 percent of the information can give you at least 80 percent of what you really need to know. At the end of the meeting, suggest having each member’s thoughts on the meeting. The nuggets of wisdom that emerge can be helpful.
The paradox of time is that if we slow down to think and plan, we’ll have more time. By paying attention to your time wasters, you just may “find” and extra four or five hours per week to enjoy the things most important to you.
It’s your life. Don’t waste it.
This article was written by Gary Field, CPA at Numerico, PC. Click here to view Numerico’s website.
