5 Top Time Wasters & How To Control Them
Time wasters. They’re everywhere.
These are the seemingly innocent activities you think will only take a few minutes and which end up costing you an enormous amount of time.
When you don’t have the discipline to handle the tasks in your life or business, they can quickly spin out of control.
A few minutes spent here and there on tasks that are not time delimited can quickly turn into hours.
Think about your last visit to Facebook or YouTube. Did a minute or two quickly turn into 30 minutes, an hour, or even more?
Distractions result in wasted time.
Even worse is the fact that you’ve probably accomplished very little on your To Do List.
Your productivity has suffered, you have little to show for your time invested, and you’re likely disappointed because now you have even less time remaining to get everything done.
Fortunately, you’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to managing time wasters.
You can create a strategy that helps you control runaway tasks. There are two keys to making this work.
First, you need to identify the time wasters in your life.
Second, you need to craft a strategy to help you to keep them in check.
At first, it might feel awkward to ruthlessly control your time.
But, after a while, by mere repetition, you’ll have new habits cemented firmly into place. Imagine how great you’ll feel to add back hours of free time that can be allocated to other interests.
Let’s take a look at the top time wasters and what you can do about them. Remember, none of these are bad things. They’re only poor uses of your time when they aren’t handled with some sort of thoughtful discipline.
In this post, we’ll discuss the 5 top time wasters. As well as tips for making small and effective changes that will transform not only how you work, but also your productivity.
Only you will know what works for you, your time requirements, and your work style. Make any adjustments to suit your particular set of circumstances.
TIME WASTER #1 – EMAIL
Reading and writing emails can easily consume hours of your work day.
What’s even worse is when you have a habit of checking it multiple times a day.
Every time you interrupt your train of thought, it takes more energy and mental effort to refocus. This increases your stress and fatigue levels.
Solution:
It takes a lot of discipline to control your behavior with email, so go easy on yourself as you create new habits.
Before you even jump into dealing with email, unsubscribe from all the unnecessary items that are filling up your inbox.
That alone, will reduce the amount of time you spend on email.
Next, allocate a specific amount of time you’ll spend on email each day.
You’ll be surprised that when you put boundaries around how much time you have available, you’ll work to stay within those bounds.
Then, decide how many times you’ll check email. A good rule of thumb is 2 to 3 times each day. Each check-in might take 20 to 30 minutes.
Finally, decide when you’ll look at your email.
Do you really want to devote your highest energy time of your day to emails?
Likely not.
Figure out what works for you in terms of your attention and energy levels.
If you have poor email habits, it could take a month or so before you get new habits firmly established.
Be gentle on yourself, but do apply discipline. Learn how to write less and convey more.
Skim emails to quickly determine what needs to be done with them.
Once you get your email under control, you’ll feel empowered. The best part is that a few simple behavioral changes can free up hours of time each week.
TIME WASTER #2: TEXTING
Even worse than email!
It’s constant, in-the-moment interruption. For most people, texting is a way of life.
It’s time-consuming, mentally and even physically taxing, and a huge distraction. If it’s part of your job, then you’ll have to make adjustments.
Solution:
Move excessive texting conversations to a phone call.
There’s no sense texting for an hour when you can easily get on the phone and resolve something in 10 minutes.
Don’t make things harder than they need to be.
Rather than type, use voice to text. Be smart about how you spend your time.
Your friends and colleagues might not like it at first, but if you want to be super productive during your work day, you’re going to need to rein in runaway texting.
TIME WASTER #3: PHONE CALLS
It’s really easy for a short phone call to quickly morph into a much longer one. 
Face it. We’re social creatures.
That’s a great thing, except when it gets out of control and prevents us from accomplishing our goals.
Solution:
Schedule all phone calls in your calendar.
Schedule them for 15 or 30 minute increments, unless you know you absolutely need longer.
Again, you’ll be surprised what you can accomplish when you limit your time. Don’t accept calls except by appointment.
Your work time is sacred, so you can’t let it be interrupted.
Make sure you have an automated appointment calendar, so others can schedule calls online according to your availability.
Set an agenda either before the call or immediately at the start. This prevents the conversation from veering off track.
End your call at the required time.
If you don’t stick to your schedule, the other party will think they can always push through your boundaries.
Train others to respect you and your time. If you need more time, schedule another appointment or follow up through an email.
TIME WASTER #4 – SOCIAL MEDIA
From Facebook to Instagram, from Twitter to LinkedIn, you’re probably immersed in social media.
It’s amazing how what you think will only be a minute of checking messages on Facebook can turn into an hour or two of scrolling through all sorts of conversations and videos.
It’s endless — and that’s the danger.
Between social media and email, you could waste most of your work day!
Yikes!
Solution:
Like email, texting, and talking on the phone, make sure you allocate a specific amount of time for social media.
Do you really need to be on it every single day?
Likely not.
Could you skip weekends? Probably.
Not only will you free up a lot of time that can be better spent elsewhere, you may even start feeling better.
There are a number of studies that link social media to anxiety, depression and loneliness.
Imagine the time freedom you can experience by cutting back or even eliminating unnecessary time on social media and using it for other activities that bring more joy.
Consider saving social media as a reward for the end of your day – after you’ve completed your work.
TIME WASTER #5: UNNECESSARY MEETINGS
Most meetings are unnecessary.
With today’s technology, the ease of communication, and the fact that everyone does not need to be at every meeting, they’re often a poor use of time. 
Still, they do have their time and place. There’s nothing wrong with meetings.
But understand that they impact your time significantly. They take time and energy to schedule.
They pull everyone away from other projects and priorities.
And, it’s challenging to refocus on your work, especially after leaving an in-person meeting.
Solution:
Determine whether you need a meeting in the first place.
Can the objective be accomplished through an email or a telephone call?
Sometimes a well-worded email can effectively communicate what needs to be said.
If a meeting is absolutely necessary, does it need to be face-to-face, or can it be conducted virtually?
With more folks working virtually and scattered around the world, there are definitely fewer in-person meetings.
When it comes to connecting with others, think of more efficient and effective ways to accomplish your objectives.
A meeting might not be the best solution.
I hope this post was of value to you and that you can implement some of the solutions in your own life.
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