How to Avoid and Overcome 10 Time Wasters
Time is extremely important in your life. Time is money.
In fact, life is the sum total of time.
If you don't learn to use your time wisely, you will waste your life.
Given below are 10 ways to organize your life in order to save time.
Avoid these time-wasters at all costs and watch as your productivity graph keeps going up.
1. Not being organized
Not being organized can result in a tremendous loss of time.
You won't realize how much time we waste by not being organized.
If you are properly organized and plan your tasks systematically, then you will be able to save a lot of precious time.
2. Being involved in drama
Another way to save a lot of time is to stop getting involved in other people's drama.
This may seem unrelated but it can be a huge time waster.
Refuse to be involved in somebody else's problems for drama.
This will save you a lot of time and anxiety.
3. Negative thinking or mindset
A negative thinking mindset will cause you to procrastinate many times.
So negative thinking has to be done away with.
Negative thinking will bring about analysis paralysis in your life.
Negative thinking cannot be measured in a laboratory but its effects can be seen clearly.
Avoid any type of pessimistic mindset and replace it with a positive mindset.
4. Multitasking important tasks
It is generally thought that multitasking saves time.
But the fact of the matter is that multitasking results in jobs half done.
Then the person has to spend extra time getting the job done properly.
This results in spending more time than usual to finish those tasks.
As far as possible avoid multitasking and do one job at a time.
When you give your full attention to one job or one task, you will do justice to the task and also save time.
5. Letting your past define you
Some people always live in the past.
They always think about the wrongs that were done to them.
They dwell on their own failures and setbacks in the past.
The past acts as baggage or burden in their present and they are unable to plan for their future because of this.
They spend a lot of time which could have been utilized fruitfully.
Therefore get out of the past and live in the present. It will save a lot of precious time for you.
6. Watching too much television
Spending time watching too much television is natural wastage of time.
Of course, I am not advocating not watching television at all.
What I am saying is that you must regulate your time spent watching the television. Avoid too much television binge-watching.
It's ok to spend some time watching your favorite sport, or family serial, or even a movie, but monitor your time.
Nothing can waste your time as quickly as watching television aimlessly.
7. Checking the phone constantly
One big-time waste of time is checking the phone constantly for notifications.
Some people cannot live without their smartphones.
They look at their smartphones all the time that they are awake.
Checking the phone constantly has become an addiction for many people.
I have watched people engrossed in their cell phones even while walking on a busy road.
This is dangerous. Apart from safety, it is a huge waste of time.
If you don't learn to control your smartphones, your smartphone will start controlling you and your time.
- Keep designated times where you check your phone.
- Turn off notifications that are not necessary.
- Install apps that monitor your time on the cellphone.
Do whatever it takes to curtail your time on the cell phone and use that time in some beneficial pursuits.
8. Wishing instead of taking action
Many people keep on thinking instead of taking quick action.
This results in massive wastage of time.
When you have decided to do something then follow it up with massive action.
And do it as fast as possible.
All the successful people in any area of life have one thing in common, and that is they are action takers.
They don't while away time.
As soon as they see an opportunity they jump and grab it without wasting time.
Form the habit of taking rapid action instead of wallowing in indecision.
9. Procrastinating all the time
Another big time waster is procrastination.
Procrastination is a global problem. People don't take action when it is needed.
They prolong doing things that are important. Usually, they wait for the perfect time to take action.
But there is no such thing as the perfect time. Now is the perfect time to do anything.
If you keep on procrastinating, you will waste a lot of time.
10. Consuming too much information/ information overload
Finally, when you consume too much information, you will have an information overload.
This information overload will result in inaction.
So always be intentional about what and how much information you want to consume.
There is an absolute information explosion because of the internet in our times.
You need to pick and choose very carefully the information that you need at the moment.
If you don't do this, then you will go on a rabbit trail and waste hours without doing anything productive.
Be aware of these ten time wasters and keep them away from your life.
This will result in saving precious time and increased productivity in your life.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2020 Nitin Khaire
