What do you to waste time? Are you an avoider? A thrill-seeker? Are you paralyzed by indecision? Learn how most people waste time and the top strategies for combating your procrastination blues.
Avoid Top Time Wasters at Work & Maximize Your Time: Keep Track of Tasks
As a mother, small-business owner, and part-time employee, people often ask me how I make the time to wear so many hats from day-to-day without skipping a beat.
The truth is, I do make it look a lot easier than it actually is, but even so, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve to ensure that each day I don’t waste time (or at least not too much of it).
My biggest time management trick is my coveted to-do list, which somehow only seems to grow as the day goes on, even as I’m checking off the tasks that I’ve accomplished that day.
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SIGN UPWhy bother with a list?
The reason why I use listing to keep track of my productivity and to help keep me focused solely hinges on the personal satisfaction that checking off a completed task in the box.
Aside from that, it helps to keep me on track throughout the day so I can find a comfortable pace to complete or delegate my tasks, and it also helps to ensure that I don’t forget something that’s super important, like what time to be at my sons’ soccer game or a deadline to file a form.
I often tell people that if I didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen. (Because I will forget!)
Task Lists: Making it work for you
One of the most important things that you have to keep in mind when you start writing down your tasks to help promote productivity is that every person is different.
The method I use is known as bullet journaling, which is becoming more popular with the entrepreneurs in my circle. Other people that I know simply keep a calendar that allows them to take notes.
There are even people that keep track of what tasks they have to do, and then jot down how much time it took them so then they can go back and figure out more efficient ways to get the job done.
However you decide to do it, you have to make sure it feels right so that you can stay consistent.
Top Time Wasters at Work: List Making Doesn’t Work If You Don’t Do It
Consistency is key
Like anything, if you are not consistent with this time management task, you will not be able to find a way to make it work for you.
Bullet journaling works for me is by writing down tasks the night before. I re-evaluate the list again in the morning, adding any other tasks that may have hit my radar.
From there, I simply go through the list, tackling the most important tasks first. Then, I start moving through tasks (easiest to hardest) throughout the day. If there’s something I really need to concentrate on, I toss in a Pomodoro session.
Just remember…
Like many people, I kept a mental checklist in my head. I would find myself rambling through it several times a day to avoid forgetting to do an important task. Listen to the clutter in your head. You know if it’s more than you can handle.
Even so, I would find myself forgetting to do the most important tasks on the list.
The simple task of writing it down helped me to become a more responsible and reliable person. I have confidence that with a little tweaking you can make it right for you too.
Are You Dealing with the Top Time Wasters at Work? What Kind of Time-Waster Are You? Let us know in the comments section!
