Today I am starting a three part series on time, with today looking at how we can tackle time-wasters and distractions. Let’s face it, sometimes time is just not on our side. But it can also be that we haven’t been making the best use of it.
There is nothing I hate worse (but am guilty of indulging in) than things that waste my time and distract me. Not only does it make me ineffective but it causes me to become stressed. That’s because I fall behind on things and then in an effort to make it all up, find myself rushing.
I work from home and although it affords flexibility, I still have to accomplish the same amount of work as any other person who works full-time outside the home. But I also have a family and house to take care of. Let alone the “extra” stuff that consumes my time.
While working out of my home is ideal, it is also a place of great temptation. Who wouldn’t prefer to sit down in front of the television and catch up on their recorded shows? Or who wouldn’t enjoy spending a couple of hours on Facebook?
Not only are there the distractions such as these but the time-wasters…perusing through emails and stopping to “quick” do this or that. It is a battle I find myself fighting all the time (no pun intended).
The best way to tackle some of these time-wasters and distractions is to eliminate. I spent a good two hours this past weekend going through the tons of emails that have been sitting in my inbox.
Normally what I do is try and catch up my reading over the weekend. But this time I spent it unsubscribing myself to most of them. While I love the blogs and other helpful resources, they have been a waste of my time. So I had to cut them out.
If you can’t eliminate, reduce. Reduce the time-wasters and distractions by making them less accessible. For instance, keep your email program closed. Don’t even open Facebook. If you keep it closed, it won’t be tempting.
Work far away from a television set. Only you know those things that are most likely to waste your time and distract you. So you have to purpose to do what you can to tackle them.
What ideas do you have for tackling some of those common time-wasters and distractions?
Related Articles:
Set Up Work Hours and a Schedule
Staying Productive While Working from Home
Photo by remind in stock.xchng