”A man’s time, when well-husbanded, is like a cultivated field, of which a few acres produces more of what is useful to life than extensive provinces, even of the richest soil when overrun with weeds and brambles.”
David Hume (1711-1776) Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, historian, economist, librarian and essayist.
Most times we find ourselves struggling to remember how our time flew by, especially when we have a lot to still accomplish for the day.
But, well, time is limited for every human, and despite how much we may want to; time cannot be paused, rewound, borrowed or bought. But, we can maximize the time we have.
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At the places we work (for some; the shop, site, road, farm, office, etc.) we are often involved in a rat-race to fit in all of our proposed productive activity into a very limited time. This is because we often have a specified length of time to work, and even if we have the leisure (I wouldn’t call it that myself) to work indefinitely, there is absolutely nothing to desire of such act.
So, even when you are putting in even your most frantic work, there are certain things that further reduces your productivity, and they do not even look it.
Experience in fourteen countries with managers at various levels in diverse organizations led to a clear picture of time-wasters that afflict managers generally. In everyone’s list, five things ranked at or near the top. They are:
Telephone interruptions.
Every worker and manager, know the phone can be quite a bug when you are determined to engage productive or most especially when you are working with a deadline.
A 2017 survey from staffing firm OfficeTeam found the average office employee spends 56 minutes per day using their cell phone during work hours for non-work activity, adding up to just under five hours a week of lost productivity, per employee.
There is actually a name for this cell phone addiction and it’s called nomophobia. If we are addicted to the alerts and messages our phone provide, it would make sense that it could be impacting our work.
Since our cell phones have enabled us to multitask more than we ever did before, it’s likely that hearing the buzz of our phone can interrupt our thought process long enough to consider all of the tasks we perform on our phone. One buzz from a text message can make us think about our reminder list, paying a bill, ordering an item online, checking our calendar, and wishing a friend happy birthday on social media.
It’s no wonder our productivity tanks with our favorite device always on our person. This is the same reason why campaigns encourage drivers to put their phones down.
Drop-in visitors.
There is a reason that most companies have strict rules on visitors. Aside from posing a security risk, visitors can also be distracting for employees. They might annoy employees with constant questions, and employees might have to be extra cautious so that sensitive information will not leak to the visitors.
Most decent establishments have security systems in place that help prevent cases like this from happening. However, those who work in virtual offices at home do not have the perks that office security systems can provide.
Employees who work at home should take steps to prevent visitors from distracting them. They should choose a private workspace that only they use. They should also establish proper visitation times so that they can work peacefully at other times.
Meetings (scheduled and unscheduled).
Many firms globally are beginning to revolutionize meetings. Some have even banned them altogether. Counterintuitively, meetings have turned from symbols of productivity to the bane of workplaces everywhere, and for a good reason. Many of these are just unnecessary. Poorly-planned ones can span for hours without leading to a concrete resolution.
While businesses do not necessarily have to stop meetings, there is need to use them more appropriately. Ideally, agendas should be set before the meeting starts. Novel techniques, such as making people stand up during meetings to prevent stalling, should also be tried and tested before being implemented.
Crises.
From terror bosses to coworkers from hell, there are many sources of toxicity in the office. No one performs better in a toxic environment. Employees are forced to spend their time and resources in resolving problems instead of doing their work. Hostilities can endanger teamwork and result in job dissatisfaction.
Managers should regularly do audits of the work environment. They should detect the presence of a toxic work environment, stamp out the root causes, and repair any damage.
Lack of objectives, priorities, and deadlines,
“I am always quarreling with time! It is so short to do something and so long to do nothing.” —Queen Charlotte
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything, a thinker once said. Without an intentionally decided priority of your day activities, you are most likely to oscillate and just float through the day.
Surprisingly, to-do lists too, can be distractions if not used correctly. Some people spend hours rearranging their to-do lists instead of doing actual work. Handling a to-do list feels like productive work so that it can be an addictive source of satisfaction. However, people should know that planning work is different from actually doing a job.
People should experiment with different to-do lists and see which are the most effective for them. Many swear by simple lists jotted down on a sheet of paper. Some use Post-its stuck on the sides of their computer monitors. Others use electronic apps. Some formats work better in encouraging work than others, so people should try them out until they find the perfect one for them.
Cluttered desk and personal disorganization.
Poor personal organizational skills can affect how things can be completed on time. Since time is a valuable factor for every business, this should be given an adequate value. However, when things and processes are not organized, time can be wasted and may affect the company’s resources. Organizational skills are related to your mental and physical health. When you have poor organizational skills, you are more likely to acquire stress and anxiety.
If workers have trouble with the chairs and tables they use, it is also most likely to affect there productivity.
Many believe that clutter limits the ability of a person to perform better. It limits the strength of your brain to think better. Clutter is something that we should eliminate for us to function better at work and become more productive. People working on a messy desk get less work done because sometimes there is no room or space when it comes to working. Pushing some paper stuff further will only make things worse because you are just creating a pile of paper that is unnecessary.
We must eliminate this if we want to experience a serene working environment. Here are a few tips on what we should do in order to have a clutter-free working space.
Ineffective delegation and personal involvement in routine affairs and small details.
Although delegating tasks boosts efficiency and productivity, and improves time management, it is important to delegate tasks correctly.
You can’t do everything yourself. Many of us were raised with the old saying, “If you want something done properly, do it yourself”. However that’s a recipe for burnout. It might seem easier to do things yourself, but in the long run it is much more effective to train others to do more!
People give more to tasks when they feel a sense of ownership. It provides motivation and they are more invested in the outcome.
Attempting too much at once, unrealistic time estimates.
Perhaps you feel that only if you can concentrate and do a number of tasks simultaneously, you can get much productive and get your tasks done faster. Well, let me tell you a small little fact: Human beings cannot multitask in the truest sense. What you think as multitasking is basically your brain switching fast from one task to another.
Multitasking increases stress. Trying to focus on more than one task at a time puts pressure on the brain. Our brain is designed to concentrate on one task at a time. Now, due to the added pressure of switching from one task to another, the brain takes more time to do the tasks. This causes stress as the same tasks now take more time than what you would normally take to complete it. At the end of the day, you get up doing nothing of value.
Frequent multitasking is detrimental to your memory. Memory loss and absentmindedness are very common among those who multitask on a regular basis. Our brain is not designed to handle too many tasks at the same time.
While multitasking, your attention switches from one problem to another due to which you can’t concentrate on a particular problem at one time. You may be able to work on many tasks at one time, but you will really struggle in those which require some serious problem-solving, thus killing your creativity.
Confused chains of authority and responsibility.
The chain of the command is a hierarchical structure in which each person reports directly to a single figure of authority who is higher up in the chain.
An established chain of command creates efficiency when reporting problems or communicating with workers. For example, when a worker communicates a problem to.
When an establishment lacks defined chains of command, it may affect the morale of supervisors and managers, even employees. Supervisors and management may feel that they aren’t respected by their subordinates and may also conclude that the company owners don’t support the authority of management.
A broken chain of command brings about chaos and crisis.
Inadequate, inaccurate, or delayed information.
The workplace functions with information, and every Manager knows that information is the driving force of an efficient system. Delayed information most almost have the same effect as poor or inaccurate information.
From demoralized employees to workplace conflicts, poor communication detrimentally affects an organization’s productivity and overall workplace. Disconnected, uninformed employees can have a detrimental effect on your business and bottom line. Implementing effective communication skills helps avoid confusion, provides purpose, fosters a transparent company culture, creates accountability and builds productivity and growth
With poor communication in the workplace comes lower productivity because employees don’t have access to the people, knowledge, and resources that help them do their jobs and don’t have the passion and motivation to perform well or even exceed expectations.
Lack of communication causes unmet expectations. Teams miss deadlines, clients miss appointments, and people on a project do not seem to know what their roles are. When employees have trouble figuring out what their priorities should be, they often choose the wrong thing and end up disappointing their superiors.
Indecision and procrastination.
The word procrastination comes from the latin procrastinus that is composed by Pro i.e. forward and Crastinus i.e. of tomorrow. That explains the need that arises from inside to postpone and defer to another time in the future, to an undefined tomorrow.
the perfect solution to resolve the procrastination does not exist. But focus on (improving) the present, creating a to-do list with priority, tackling the most difficult task first, assigning a specific time to your task, rewarding yourself every time you accomplish a job, taking a break between two tasks, eliminating distractions (phones, social media, calendar and reminders), creating the right environment, your ideal space could be of immense help.
Procrastination occurs when you put off tasks that you should be focusing on right now.
Often, procrastinators feel that they have to complete a task from start to finish, and this high expectation makes them feel overwhelmed and anxious. Instead, focus on devoting a small amount of time to starting. That’s all!
Productive procrastination (also known as structured procrastination) however, involves doing beneficial things while delaying doing more important things. For example, a student engages in productive procrastination when they work on a school assignment as a way to postpone studying for a much more important upcoming exam.
Lack of, or unclear, communication and instructions
Poor communication often creates a tense environment where people are not motivated to be productive and not inspired to collaborate. This lack of motivation then affects how employees relate to clients and potential customers, negatively affecting the bottom line.
Ineffective communication can be frustrating to employees, creating a breeding ground of distrust and confusion. If workers don’t have good lines of communication with each other and management, and don’t feel like they’re being heard, their loyalty and commitment to the organization may suffer
Inability to say ”no.”
”Autophobia” it is called. The fear of saying no also stems from the urge to avoid conflicts, or confrontation. Another reason that why people tend to worry about saying no is because they don’t want to disappoint others, or hurt their feelings.
Saying those two little letters “n-o” can be extremely difficult at times. But the truth of the matter is if you say “yes” to ONE Thing, you have to say “no” to a lot of other things. Focus requires factoring out all the other stuff that’s going on around you. Using the word “no” can empower you to focus on the thing that matters most instead of giving your attention to everything else.
When you say yes a lot you’re giving only a little piece of yourself to each thing, and hard work doesn’t always equate to quality work. When you say yes less, you can give fewer things the attention they deserve. More effort is wasted doing things that don’t matter than is wasted doing things inefficiently. And if that is the case, elimination is a more useful skill than optimization.
Whether they come from emails, IM chats, colleagues in a crisis, or phone calls from clients, distractions prevent us from achieving flow , which is the satisfying and seemingly effortless work that we do when we’re 100 percent engaged in a task.
If you want to gain control of your day and do your best work, it’s vital to know how to minimize distractions, institute self-discipline and manage interruptions effectively.
Lack of controls, standards, and progress reports to keep track of the completion of tasks.
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. – Peter Drucker
If your company applies employee policies inconsistently or doesn’t have formal guidelines at all, it can pose a barrier to staff productivity. If employees feel that there is a level of unfairness in the workplace, discontent, low morale and questions of favoritism can arise, according to IT Managers Inbox.
The effects of a lack of controls and standards in the workplace range from unsafe work environments, unhappy, unsatisfied employees, reduced productivity, and increased staff turnover.
Training, controls and standards, progress reports are vital to business success. Depending on your business, the type of standards vary, but there are many general benefits offered by workplace Controls and Standards.
Unregulated employees are likely to experience poor job performance and increased levels of work-related stress. If your employees are feeling unhappy and undervalued, the chances of them searching elsewhere for progression and development opportunities will increase.
This can affect your worker’s morale and impact other staff members in the workplace. If an employee is not contributing adequately to the goals of your section due to a variety of distractions, it can be difficult to improve performance to the satisfactory level.
A progress report keeps everyone on their toes and helps assess and determine areas for improvement.
Fatigue and lack of self-discipline.
It’s nice to think that you can work for 8-10 hours straight, especially when you’re working to a deadline. But it’s impossible for anyone to focus and produce really high-quality work without giving their brains some time to rest and recharge.
According to the researchers, fatigue reduced work performance mainly by interfering with concentration and increasing the time needed to accomplish tasks. Fatigue results in slower reactions, reduced ability to process information, memory lapses, absent-mindedness, decreased awareness, lack of attention, underestimation of risk, reduced coordination etc. Fatigue can lead to errors and accidents, ill-health and injury, and reduced productivity.
Fatigue causes employee performance to suffer due to a diminished ability to make safe decisions, reduced attention spans, impaired memory, and decreased reaction time and accuracy.
Conclusion:
It would be profitable for you to sit down and make your own list to give you a starting point for eliminating personal time wasters. Take a typical day, list everything you do – even telephone
calls, visits to the bathroom, and time for “breaks” or lunch- then go over the list to see what could have been eliminated. Be ruthless in marking time wasters.