How to Stop Wasting Time at Work?
Beginning of the week, Monday is a day which everyone hates. According to a research conducted by clinical psychologist Alex Gardner, Monday is the only day during the week when people complain the most about work while wasting time instead of working. There is nothing strange in this. When we go back to work after the weekend – days spent away from the office with our friends and family, doing activities which bring us joy – we no longer want to be brought back to the sad reality of long hours spent on work.
Thus, we tend to waste our time at work in different ways. And as the weekend goes by, our productivity increases. But it doesn’t mean we always give our best. We often look for ways to do our tasks more efficiently but not everything works for everyone. For this reason, today we present a list of 6 simple ways to stop wasting time at work.
Organize And Prioritize
Do you wake up every day with a head full of thoughts about what you will have to do today? If so, you’re doing it wrong. What you should do instead is waking up every day with a head filled with a clear plan for the entire day. And to do that you have organize all your tasks and prioritize them according to their importance. Every week create a list of things you have to do for every single day. Follow it and cross out those you finished. This will help you stay on top of your work.
Also, create a plan according to which you will work. There are many methods and practices which can be helpful. Create your own habits and stick to them to avoid wasting time.
Monitor Your Work
If you don’t monitor your work, you will not be able to track your progress but also self-development. Create a system which will give you a clear and detailed insight into your work. For this, you may find TimeCamp useful. It’s a time tracking software which not only tracks your work hours but also helps you keep a hand on all your activities (both productive and unproductive). With this tool, you don’t have to worry about wasting your time on useless things.
You can also use other tools which can be extremely helpful in tracking your work. And when your boss or a client asks you: “How’s your work progress?”, you will be able to provide them with a detailed report.
Avoid Procrastination
Procrastination is the no.1 enemy of everyone. It can be deadly bot for your productivity and your work. And of course, we all fight with it in different ways. But the best one is to simply avoid all types of distractions which may influence our work negatively. And that includes constant e-mail checking, scrolling down Facebook, replying to friends’ messages, etc. Don’t let this time thief deprive you of your productivity!
Stop postponing your tasks and do them now!
Don’t Multitask
We all know that multitasking is killing our productivity. And when we multitask, we only waste our time. Our brain isn’t able to do all things at once. So if you think you’re great at juggling all your tasks at once, you couldn’t be more wrong. When multitasking, you’re slowing down your work progress. You also prolong your tasks’ accomplishment. Working on your project in separated periods of time can make you easily forget about that great idea you had in your head just before you switched to that project from a week ago.
In this manner, you will work on your projects forever. Thus, divide your work into different tasks and approach them separately, not all at once.
Use The 2-Minute Rule
This rule was invented by James Clear. And here’s what it is about:
- Part 1 — If it takes less than two minutes, then do it now. As Clear states, “Part I comes from David Allen’s bestselling book, Getting Things Done.” And the idea is to simply do these tasks first which are the shortest, such as making coffee, throwing away the trash, etc.
- Part 2 — When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do. In this part, the idea is that once you start doing something, after 2 minutes it becomes your habit. And that’s how, for example, writing that article every week for your blog can become your habit after just 2 minutes.
Set Goals And Deadlines
Setting your goals straight can save a lot of your time and energy as well as boost your productivity. If you create a list of goals you want to achieve, you’ll stop wasting time on things you don’t have to do. Instead, you will focus on doing those goals you planned. Additionally, setting deadlines will also be helpful as it will encourage you to finish all projects on time.
To Sum Up
Following these 6 simple tips is a great way to avoid wasting time. No more blue, unproductive Mondays and passed deadlines! Try to use these 6 suggestions to stay productive. Thanks to them you will learn to earn to value your time, money, and will always achieve your goals. Good luck!