Hidden time killers and how to manage them.

Our adulting life is basically divided into three large categories, WORK, FAMILY and FRIENDS, where work takes up most of our time. You add travel time to work and you subtract a few hours of me time and you have a perfect solution on how to be overworked.

I often wonder how life would be if I had a magic wand that finished everything in a jiffy and even better if all my tasks were done the moment I thought about them. Check back to reality, it doesn’t happen and if you happen to procrastinate your work, then you are a level closer to being stressed and breaking out into anxiety.

Did you know that there are certain productivity killers and you could actually avoid them. I have previously shared a few tips on how to avoid procrastination, which you can read here

This blog is about understanding your micro time wasters and being able to manage them. You can have these time wasters anywhere, you can have them invade your life at work, at home, while you are out or even when you are going somewhere or simply even when you are at school.

You may not even be able to implement all of them but you can choose what is applicable to you and carry on with your everyday business.

Using the laptop or the computer – One thing I mastered at my corporate career was to use shortcuts instead of lengthy menus. I learnt a few formulas that made work easy and helped me finish more work in my 9 hour shift. You need to be able to master the art of typing, the way you type, the speed of your mouse clicks and even a slow internet connection can really gobble up your time. So the next time you are working at your computer, let the computer work for you instead of you working for it.

While at work – I once had a colleague who took more breaks than the work he was supposed to do and then would stay back at work to finish the work he should have earlier finished. Schedule your daily calendar. Check if you need to be attending all meeting you are invited to. Time your coffee breaks. Avoid working when you are sleepy, stretch your body instead and go for a little walk, you will come back with a bag full of ideas.Reducing commuting time to work will also help you get more things done.

Going Outside – I personally feel I time myself when I have to get somewhere because that helps me calculate the hours I will be spending outside. It is always better to look at travel routes to be able to gauge the traffic when going outside. If you are taking a public transport to get somewhere and are not going to drive, use that time to make phone calls, write a journal, or simply unwind. Plan your day and time out.

Shopping Therapy – Shopping can be stress and time buster both. If you go shopping after skipping your meals you will end up spending more time eating than shopping. Always go shopping with a list. Check queues when waiting to make payments. I usually prefer getting the stuff online which I know will take me time to decide. Go shopping at hours when you know it will not be very crowded.

While at home – There can be so many time eaters while you are at home.From taking long showers than usual every time to keeping things randomly at places, you may end up wasting more time than you think. Keep your things organized and at places where you remember keeping them.Netflix and Amazon are the biggest time killers I’d say if someone took my opinion. Not using help when rendered.Use the left over food, cook for a day in advance.Plan you next day in advance as well. Small tips can go a long way in saving time when you are home.

In life too act on things that need your attention rather than worrying about everything.You need to re-visit your self awareness program often along with connecting with people.Health needs to be priority just like other things and eventually you need to act on some of the stuff you just read here.