11 Time Wasters to Eliminate - TPW286

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11 Time Wasters to Eliminate – TPW286

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What are some time wasters we can eliminate to make more time for the things that matter most?

Time wasters and accomplishing what matters

As I get older, I realize I have fewer years ahead of me than I have behind me, so the topic of wasted time has been on my mind lately.

What does it mean to waste time? The dictionary says: “to allow time to elapse in an unproductive manner”

What “an unproductive manner” means is very personal. What’s wasting time for one person might be very productive for another.

I love how Laura Vanderkam (TPW217) talks about this:

“Open time isn’t wasted time. Sometimes white space is where the best ideas take root. Watching TV and surfing the web are often low-value activities, but they’re not automatically wasted time. These things sometimes bring pleasure, and pleasure is a good in its own right. So what is wasted time? I’ve come to like this definition: Time is wasted when it’s neither enjoyed, nor spent in pursuit of some larger life goal.”

How to Figure Out What is Really a Waste of Time

Since we define productivity as ordering our lives in such a manner as to maximize our positive impact on the world around us, we can look at time wasters in that light. What are the things you do that allow time to elapse without contributing to your ability to make a positive impact?

Here are a few that came to mind for me:

1. Unnecessary meetings

Too many meetings, or poorly run meetings in which information is conveyed that could have been put in a memo or an email, or could have been handled with a phone call.

Every meeting should have a purpose – probably not to convey information; it should be to make a decision
Every meeting should take only as long as is necessary to achieve that purpose
Only those people whose input is necessary should be at the meeting
Every meeting should end with a specific action item
If you’re looking for ideas on how to make meetings less wasteful, check out articles from the Harvard Business Review (Stop the Meeting Madness) and Inc.com (Why 99 Percent of All Meetings are a Complete Waste of Money) for more ideas.

2. Pointless tasks

Things that don’t need to be done – Don’t do them or rethink how often you do them. If the things you’re doing are not in some way contributing to a life that matters as you define it, then evaluate them carefully.
Things that you’re doing to avoid something more important and more challenging
Things that others can do – Learn to say no (TPW008) and/or delegate (TPW175)

3. Clutter

We’ve talked about this time waster many times. Clutter of any kind (physical, digital, mental, emotional) results in time wasted.

Listen to previous episodes on this topic:

4. Procrastination

Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something

It’s a waste of time because you’re not moving forward

“A type of low-level background free-floating dread can also mean that even when we have embarked on the task we were putting off, we somehow fear surrendering to it. We interrupt ourselves with music, Facebook notifications or Instagramming the cat, so that it takes twice as long as it otherwise might do. In this fashion we are not fully facing the dread. The time-wasting distractions draw out the task, making it harder and longer than it needs to be. This, in turn, reinforces our negative feelings when next faced with a similar job.”

Procrastination is a waste of time

Procrastination wastes energy and attention, because that unclosed loop is always in the back of our mind, distracting us and leading us to feel bad about ourselves. And how often have you spend hours, days, or longer putting off a dreaded task, only to finally start and discover it took far less time than you imagine it would – you spent more time procrastinating than you spent actually doing the task. That’s wasted time you can’t get back.

Put a plan in place, figure out the easiest possible first step, and just start.

Check out How Procrastination Wastes Your Time and Your Life for some suggestions.

5. Lack of planning

When we don’t plan ahead, we waste time backtracking, heading down wrong paths and having to start over, or not being able to make progress because we’re not prepared with tools, supplies, and information we need to do our tasks.

Take the time to plan ahead for any key task or project. Figure out your timeline, what resources you need and where you’ll get them, and when you’ll begin. This will let you accomplish your tasks efficiently with a minimum of wasted time.

6. Lack of boundaries

When we don’t establish reasonable boundaries, we lose time to people intruding on our work and various interruptions. Time wasted results from not establishing and protecting time for key tasks.

Listen to previous episodes on this topic:

7. Indecision

This is one of the time wasters I struggle with personally.

We live in a time when we have so many options and opportunities to choose from, and the fear of making a mistake or the fear of missing out can lead to decision paralysis. We put off deciding, which means we put off taking action, wasting time evaluating and re-evaluating and pondering and weighing until, in some cases, it’s too late.

Check out the excellent advice from the Time Management Ninja in 5 Tips to Stop Wasting Time Making Decisions:

- Make your choice rather than letting life (or other people) make the choices for you
- Don’t wait for the perfect time (or the perfect choice). In the article, he reminds us, “If you wait forever hoping for a perfect option, you will often find that you missed out on your choice entirely.”
- Remember that most choices aren’t that important. As he says, “Don’t stress about things that you won’t even remember in a year or even month from now.”

8. Lack of clarity

If we aren’t clear on what we’re trying to accomplish and why, we will waste time floundering and wandering.

“You could do a billion things with your life. But if you’re unclear about the precise things you want in life, you’ll do a lot of unessential things and look back with regret. As you gain clarity, you can prioritize, postpone, reduce, eliminate or delegate things from your life by reviewing your life regularly.”

How to Stop Wasting Time Immediately and Do What Truly Matters

Invest the time to think deeply about what matters most to you, and go beyond the surface to get really clear about where you’re going and why. Then you’ll waste less time on things that don’t get you there. Writing it down helps because it forces us to put words to it instead of letting it float around in our heads.

9. Social media

Turn off alerts and notifications
Turn off the badges so you’re not tempted to check
Use the tools that come with your smartphone (e.g., iPhone has Do Not Disturb and Screentime, which lets you schedule times when you block yourself out of social media)

10. Multitasking

Multitasking is doing more than one thing at a time, such as replying to emails and working on a report or talking to someone and cooking. We think we’re being more productive, but in fact it’s likely to take longer (as our brain switches back and forth) and we are more likely to make mistakes, which both waste time.

“Juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities might seem like the best way to get a lot done, but [multiple studies clearly show] trying to do more than one thing at a time can actually diminish productivity and performance. Focus on one task at a time, many experts suggest, in order to get the job done quickly and correctly.”

How Multitasking Affects Productivity and Brain Health

This isn’t an issue if you’re doing one thing that requires attentiveness and one that’s mechanical (e.g., listening to a podcast and folding clothes), but just be aware of the impact of multitasking. It’s much better (and more effective) to do one thing at a time, focus and be present.

11. Worrying

“Worry is the act of constantly thinking or being excessively concerned about a particular problem or situation. It is accompanied by a feeling of unease and anxiety and causes a person to become distracted as he focuses his thoughts on the possible negative scenarios that may occur and become overcome with unrealistic and unfounded fears. In severe forms, worry may cause high anxiety as well as panic, and may turn into a chronic problem when not addressed.”

What is Worry: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Worry–especially chronic worry–has negative effects on our health, potentially causing dizziness, shortness of breath, fatigue, headaches, irritability, inability to concentrate, sleep deprivation, indigestion, high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, digestive disorders, immune system deficiencies, depression, and more.

“Worrying is one of the most futile or purposeless things people can do. Unless your worry can tangibly help you identify solutions that you can implement to prevent a negative outcome, worry is often something that people do to feel as though they are being productive when really they’re only creating more distress for themselves.”

Dr. Elyssa Barbash in Worrying: A Waste of Time and Energy

When we’re worrying, we’re not doing other things that actually can be productive. We’re not being creative, we’re not taking action, we’re not connecting with the people around us. As one writer put it, “Time spent worrying is time spent not living.”

We can get that lost time back by replacing worry with something else. It starts by becoming more aware of when you’re doing it. When you catch yourself worrying, identify it as such: “That’s worry.” (Say it out loud.)

Worry usually is vague and nebulous. Pin it down by writing down exactly what you’re worrying about. Be very specific.

- - What am I worried about?
  - Is it a realistic possibility? (Really?)
  - What will I do if it happens?
  - What can I do about it now?

Come up with concrete action you can take, and then take action

Replace the worried thoughts with something else

- - Meditation – Watching your thoughts without judgment / Identifying them and then letting them pass through

When you recognize you’re worrying, acknowledge that you’re making up a story about the future and then bring your thoughts back to the present.

“Wasting time is a form of mindless, misguided self-soothing. We can do what we find mildly comforting in the moment, or we can use our uniquely human capacity to imagine the future, to plan, to delay gratification until after whatever courageous step we need to take is taken.”

Procrastination is a waste of time

What do you think?

What is the biggest time waster you struggle with, and how can you take a step today to eliminate it from your life? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below this post or in The Productive Woman Community Facebook group or send me an email.

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