A Highly Effective Way to Avoid Wasting Your Time


Here's a simple way to potentially save hours of your time each week, by investing a total of about five minutes.

First thing one morning, take a piece of paper and write a column of numbers representing each hour from the time you wake up until you go to sleep. For me, the list would start 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 1 and go all the way back to 12. (So far, you have invested about fifteen seconds.)

For this single day, at the top of every hour stop for 20 seconds and consider how happy you are with the way you spent your time. Did you invest it wisely? If the answer is yes, don't write anything.

But if you wouldn't repeat the way you spent the last hour, next to the number representing that hour write a few words that describes what you did. On one of my lists, for example, at 3 o’clock I wrote "pointless to talk with Ralph; doesn't listen," meaning that it was a waste of my time to meet with him.

Stick with this exercise all day; it takes very little time, just the discipline to stop every hour for a few seconds. But at the end of the day, you'll have a list of activities you wish you avoided. If the list has more than one or two items, you might want to continue the practice for a while.

If you make this a habit, you'll soon start to spot patterns. It will be easier to recognize ways in which you are wasting time and effort, and you'll do a better job of avoiding these.

Save time for everyone

You can also use this technique across an entire department to help all involved make better use of their time. To avoid offending people, I wouldn't suggest pooling the results. You can simply introduce the test and allow people to draw their own conclusions.

Encourage people to not only list the problems that wasted their time, but to also write down solutions for using their time more wisely. For example, at the end of a long meeting, you might realize that while your initial strategy of barking out orders did not work, that once you took the time to listen to others, they became more willing to listen to you.

You might then write, "Listen first, talk second."

_____________________________________________________

Bruce Kasanoff is a ghostwriter for entrepreneurs, executives and social innovators. Learn more at Kasanoff.com. He is the author of How to Self-Promote without Being a Jerk.

Katie Drew-Jensen

Executive Vice President, Global Operations. Travel the world from the comfort of your home at sea! Live a healthier, happier and longer life with Storylines!

8y

This will be something I keep in mind as I go through the next week! Thank you!

Like
Reply
Gregory Rowe

Digital Transformation | Solutions Architect, Governance | CTO | ServiceNow System Administrator | BMC Admin | ITIL4 Professional | Agile Software Implementations | ERP Systems

8y

This is the best advice I've heard in a long time. I'm wondering how to apply it as a manager. Can it help identify rate time-wasters in the organization? If so, how? Would it be social media-type ratings of meetings (Did you find this useful: Yes/No/Some?) Or is it best to let individuals skip, ask to be removed or half-listen to non-applicable or occasionally applicable meetings (occasionally based on requiring an agenda before the meeting so they choose)? Thanks for a great idea.

Like
Reply
Kartic Vaidyanathan

Guest Faculty IIT Madras | Personal and Professional Development | Consultant - Microlearning through Play/Games

8y

A nice technique and yet seems simple. Worth trying. Thanks for sharing Bruce Kasanoff

Like
Reply
Kartik Iyer

Quality Assurance Manager | Siemens Healthineers| ISO 13485| MDR 2017/45 | IEC 62304| ISO 14971| FDA QSR 820.30

8y

Simple and lucid. Thanks! will give it a try

Like
Reply

To view or add a comment, sign in

Insights from the community

Others also viewed

Explore topics