Avoiding Time Wasters: How to Optimize Your Time at the Office
(Asia Serviced Offices)
While you may send a set number of hours at work per day, how many of those do you actually spend working? Chances are, you’re wasting valuable time that could be spent on those all important projects.
Read on to discover some of the most common timewasters in the workplace and how to avoid them for optimal productivity!
A lack of priorities and inefficient planning.
The tried and trusted ‘to do list’ technique is essential for productivity, whether you prefer a pen and paper list or a handy app on your smartphone.
Alternatively, set your own methods for prioritising and planning, such as colour coding or stacking.
However you choose to plan your day, create your goals and stick to them. By giving yourself something to work towards, you’re less likely to find yourself distracted or put things off until ‘later’ – whenever that may be!
Overly friendly co-workers.
It’s great that you have a friendly group of co-workers at the office, but when they arrive at your desk and begin to talk your ear off it can become a problem.
Stopping to say hello is one thing, but you should aim to discourage your friends from talking too much about things that simply aren’t relevant to the tasks at hand. Be polite, but explain that you really don’t have the time to socialise until the work is done.
Procrastination.
Whether social media is your vice or you’re simply too caught up in your personal life, reasons to procrastinate are everywhere. You need to be firm with yourself and say no to distractions that could cause an issue at work.
If you’re spending too long online for example, try temporarily blocking your favorite sites until you’ve finished your current project.
Disorganization.
If your office is cluttered and disorganised you may find yourself scrambling around and searching for specific items or documents rather than actually working.
Instead of spending so long hunting down the things you need, come up with a system that allows you to quickly grab your most-used equipment. Put pens and paper in a stationery drawer, organise files in a binder or file rack, and ensure all trash is thrown in a waste bin rather than across your keyboard.
If you’re really struggling, try hiring a professional organisation coach to give you insider tips on how to stay efficiently decluttered.
Gaps between meetings.
If your job requires you to hold or attend meetings throughout the day, you may find yourself with 15 – 30 minute gaps between them.
While your first instinct may be to grab a cup of coffee or chat to a friend during this time, try to use it to go over important notes or send off a vital email. Using the time wisely will help you stay in ‘productivity mode’, ready for the next meeting.
By avoiding timewasters, you’ll fit so much more into your day – leaving you with more time to relax and unwind once you’re done.
