The old cliché that time is money still manages to ring true in today’s hectic business world. There are a multitude of distractions in the average office, and sometimes, you can fall into these traps without even knowing it. Here is a far from complete list of the top ten productivity time wasters and how to avoid them.
The Internet! - The Internet will go down in history as the greatest communication tool of all time and as the greatest time waster of all time, too. From free gaming sites to endless YouTube playlists to sprucing up your Facebook page, the Internet gobbles time like Pac Man munching blue ghosts. Limit recreational Internet use to lunch times and break times, and that’s it.
Non-business email - Too many businessmen and women combine their personal email and work email into one account, which may be convenient but it can lead to real time wasting. Separate the two so you don’t spend half your day conversing with family members and friends.
Chatting In the office - Even though cubicle walls seem to be getting higher each and every year, they can’t prevent office chit-chatting. A fun and relaxed office environment is important but it can be taken too far and abused easily. Have the self discipline to separate yourself from chats after a minute or two.
Too many coffee breaks - Businesses have been providing free coffee to employees for years to improve productivity, but they may want to start putting coffee machines at every desk, because the long, slow walk to the coffee machine has wasted more man hours than any other single event. Keep the trips to the coffeemaker to a minimum or simply get a bigger cup.
Cigarette breaks - The number of smokers in the US has shrank significantly over the past few years, but those who refuse to give up the cancer sticks are still wasting huge amounts of time. If you can’t give them up, try to limit the number of breaks you take per day to single digits.
Cell phone chats with family friends/texting - Our Blackberries were made to help us do more work out of the office, but they have become a giant distraction when used for non work purposes. Make sure only your immediate family can contact you via your work Blackberry and cell phone and keep it to emergencies only.
Pointless meetings - If you have an office manager that has turned into an office micromanager, you may be suffering from meeting overload. Nothing can sap the productivity from a day like hours and hours of meetings. Try to get the number of meetings reduced so that actual work can get done.
Long lunches - A long lunch is only acceptable if a client is being taken out or entertained. Things like a dentist appointment are acceptable, as well, but a long lunch for the sake of a long lunch should be a fireable offense.
Knocking off early - It is true that more work is done at 10am than at 4pm, but that doesn’t mean that those last hours of the day can’t be used productively. Take time to clean up your office, do paperwork, answer a backlog of emails or touch base with coworkers about certain projects. Just because clients stop answering phones doesn’t mean that work can’t be done.
Digital distractions - From MP3 players to cell phone games, our lives are filled with gadgets that want our attention. Use the same self discipline you use to unplug from the Internet to keep these toys in your briefcase until you are out of the office.
RealDealDocs.com is a division of Practice Technologies, Inc. the creators of SmartRules.com, the first online practice guide for the national litigator and the national litigation practice.
Popularity: 15% [?]
