15 Time Wasters Successful People Avoid
We all have to deal with time. We have 24 hours in a day, 1,440 minutes in each day and 86,400 minutes in a week. How we choose to spend that time differentiates and defines each and every one of us as individuals. Time can only be wasted, leveraged or invested, not created. Here are the 15 time wasters successful people avoid.
1 – Not Listening
Failing to listen to new ideas, sound counsel or dissenting opinions slows down your learning. This allows other people to leave you in the dust.
2 – Not Finishing
Great people are always great finishers. One of the best ways to measure how effective a person is with their time is to measure what is actually completed. Some people are just the worst about starting things they never finish.
3 – Working Late
Repeatedly working long hours will numb your mind, stifle your creativity and hurt your relationships. Working late does not make you a better worker, it only means you do not know how to use your time effectively.
4 – Lack of Focus
Shifting priorities and a lack of focus creates unnecessary chaos. If you are looking for success, you will do well to keep focused on your priorities.
5 – Bad Planning
Lack of planning adversely affects productivity worse than most anything. When time is put into planning, the need to waste time making adjustments later on is negated.
6 – Technology Interruptions
Primarily, this refers to the distraction of mobile devices. Some people allow technology to control them rather than controlling technology themselves. They have an addiction that needs a cure, because technology should be an asset rather than a time waster.
7 – Initiative Overload
A sure fire way to over complicate things is biting off more than you can chew. This is completely unproductive thing to do.
8 – Drop in Visits
An open door policy is one thing. However, you should not let unscheduled interruptions totally derail your focus. No one else will respect your time if you do not respect it yourself.
9 – Bad Delegation
Delegation should be viewed as proper alignment of resourcing such that the best talent is matched with the greatest opportunities or biggest challenges. It is important to match the right people to the right task.
10 – Poor Organization
In today’s world, there is no excuse for any leader to lack proper organizational skills. Stop making excuses if you are not organized. Get the help you need to solve this problem.
11 – Procrastination
This seems to be everyone’s biggest problem. If you are a real leader, you hit big issues head on rather than avoiding them. Finding yourself in a reactionary defensive posture is much worse than having a proactive approach.
12 – Improper Use of Yes and No
One should never use yes and no improperly just because it’s the easiest thing to do. This is not good leadership.
13 – Unproductive Meetings
There is no need to sequester yourself or others for hours unless it is going to be productive. Some people truly just enjoy hearing themselves speak. Do not do this.
14 – Not Learning
Everyone must continue to grow and develop. This helps you make the most out of your time. The best leaders are always ahead of the curve.
15 – Not Engaging
Dialog and collaboration are important. This helps you not to miss significant opportunities to leverage time. These have been 15 time wasters successful people avoid.
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