The number one reason why most people are not as productive as they’d like to be is that we tend to do things that waste time throughout the day. Numerous little things from the time we wake up until we call it a night, add up and cause us to question our days.
How often do you go to bed wishing you had done more? How often do you go to bed and sleep like a baby because you are so happy with your productivity?
Hopefully, your number for the second question is larger than the first question. If not, here are 10 things you may want to pay attention to to stop wasting time.
Prioritization
Do you prioritize your tasks based on importance? If we do an inventory of our days, experts say we’d discover that somewhere during the day, we experience a 20% spike that yields 80% of our results.
Therefore, we should prioritize the 20% because they are our high-impact tasks. These are the things that move the needle. Many other things we do throughout the day can be delegated or eliminated.
This concept is referred to as the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 Rule.
Time-Blocking
Dedicate specific blocks of time for certain activities or tasks. This will help you stay focused and minimize distractions. When you are intentional about your actions during certain times, you can make the proper adjustments ahead of time to ensure others know not to interrupt you.
This is an area where your calendar comes in handy. Get in the habit of putting everything on your calendar to help you stay organized.
Goal Setting
Goal setting is something that should be taken seriously. Goals are like our game plan, it’s our why.
Define 3-5 daily goals and weekly milestones to give you direction and purpose. It’s okay to have big goals but break larger goals into smaller more manageable steps. This will help you stay motivated and on track to achieve your goals.
Have a Two-Minute Rule
For tasks that can be done in less than two minutes, complete as soon as possible. This prevents little tasks from piling up and stressing you out. The Two-Minute Rule will keep your to-do list more manageable and reduce mental clutter.
Batch Together
Tasks such as responding to emails, making phone calls, or running errands, can be grouped in a single time slot. This helps you maintain focus by not switching to something completely different.
Delegate & Automate
Trying to do everything yourself is a surefire way to burn yourself out. If there are things on your to-do list that you don’t enjoy doing or that can easily be passed off to someone else, delegate. Your time should be spent on things that are impactful and going to move the needle.
Also, gone are the days of manually doing everything. Many things that we used to do can be automated. Tasks such as paying bills and some of the emails we responded to can be automated so you’re not wasting time.
Take Breaks
Research has proven that our minds drift after a certain period and our work becomes less impactful. A way to mitigate this is to take small breaks throughout the day and decompress so you can refocus.
The Pomodoro method suggests focused work in 25-minute increments followed by 5-minute breaks. After 3 rounds, take a longer break. Rinse and repeat.
Plan Meals in Advance
Preparing food is therapeutic for some people and it’s their time to unwind. However, it can also be a tremendous time waster. Even if you enjoy cooking, save time by planning your meals for the week ahead of time, shopping for groceries on the weekends, and meal prepping if possible.
Limit Social Media
This might be the most difficult one on the list for many people. We have become accustomed to checking our social media platforms dozens of times throughout the day. Sometimes we get so distracted with social media, that we do what some call doomscrolling or doomsurfing.
According to Wikipedia, this is the act of spending excessive time reading large quantities of news, particularly negative news, on the web and social media.
Set specific times to check your favorite platforms so it doesn’t become a distraction. Additionally, there are screen time apps that help track the amount of time spent on social media to help you reduce your screen time.
Reflect and Adjust Regularly
Things like setting goals and creating agendas are bound to change. As you find better and more efficient ways to do things, you should make the necessary adjustments as soon as possible.
Properly adjusting to improve productivity is a sign of growth. The cool thing about productivity is we never stop growing. The more we learn, the better we get, and the more we advance.