12 Effective Ways To Stop Wasting Your Time At Work
This post was last updated on January 18th, 2024
Time management is a great factor at work. Work deadlines and challenges become too much arduous for a better productivity.
Too much of work load and poor time management leads to procrastination which makes you people to waste your precious time at work. If you check you mails, Facebook notifications, Twitter posts or YouTube videos in every 15 minutes or stare at windows for no such reason then you are killing your time for sure and for nothing. From your computers to your co-workers to the recesses of the internet, there are many opportunities to get distracted and dissipate hours of your work day.
If you find yourself challenged by the tendency to splurge time, take a quick look at the list of ways to stop wasting your time at work.
1. Focus on your work
Your focus and concentration works wonder for you. If you stay determined towards your work then nothing can distract you off your goal and deadlines. Willpower and determination is the most important thing at work to stay focused and to be productive.
2. Make a to-do list
Make a to-do list and try to complete that entire list at the end of the day. Keep the list small and realistic at the start. It’s better to prioritize your tasks according to their importance and urgency. This way you can stay productive even if your concentration is low.
3. Stop socializing at work
Socializing is another time splurging black holes in the offices where people spend more time in chattering, gossiping and discussing unnecessary subjects. Better curb your socialization by creating a schedule to work easily. To stop wasting your time at work you could wear headphones to block hearing, unwanted chatters and gossips around you which will keep people away from you.
4. Attend urgent phone calls only
Try to stay away from your cellphones as much as you can. If there’s any urgent or essential phone call you could respond to those or attend those. Unnecessarily indulging in phone calls for long hours, chatting distracts your mind that affects your work adversely.
5. Limit checking mails randomly
The email notification that is popping up on your computer screen can create urgency in mind for many to check their inboxes instantly. Checking emails frequently makes you waste your precious time. You should schedule specific time for checking mails such as at the morning, after lunch and in the afternoon.
6. Stop Multitasking
If you are checking your emails at the same time you are working on your task, then obviously you will take more time to complete both of them compared to working on them one at a single time. Stop wasting your time at work by multi-tasking as it divides your attention between multiple tasks hence each task gets less attention and more time to get finished.
7. Divide your time into segments
Categorize your work and tasks and never bounce from one activity to another without finishing the previous one. For example, you could use your mornings to reply all of the emails and after finishing your emails you could go for your meetings or phone calls then you can work on your project and urgent paper works and finally you can check your emails again. Segmentation in work helps you to work efficiently and effectively.
Recommended: 7 Health Benefits Of Working Rather Than Sitting Idle
8. Stay off unnecessary Internet uses
Checking out your bookmark sites, social networking sites and other websites are the major distractions at work while you work on your system. Your will power could help you to stop peeking at unnecessary websites or you could install site blocking tools on your browser to turn it on while working to keep you focused.
9. Use only one device
Stop wasting your time at work by using only one device or system. Staying connected to your system while checking a video on your tab and chatting with your friends on your cell phone could be real exhausting and your attention will be divided for each which affects your work productivity.
10. Get yourself breaks frequently
Get a schedule in which you will find 5-10 minutes of break after every one hour of work. Getting breaks in the middle of your work will keep you stress free and will increase your concentration for work to increase productivity.
11. Use your breaks smartly
When you get yourself breaks try to use it smartly. Listen to music, get a short brisk walk, drink lots of water, stretch, hit washroom and close your eyes for 2-3 minutes to get re-energized and refilled to get back to your work effectively.
12. Avoid Procrastination
When you know you need to stop wasting your time at work on something, avoiding little distractions is an easy way to avoid procrastinating. Procrastination makes you pile up tasks for the end of the day to complete extra fast before deadline which frame into your mind that you are capable of procrastination hence you welcome all distractions and waste your precious time happily.
You may like this
Recommended For You
9 Common Habits of Highly Organized People
Priyadarshini Muduli
A full time passionate writer with imperishable determination to bring healthy, smart and pragmatic changes individually and socially. Concentrate especially on lifestyle, life and personal improvement, relationships, mental health and behavior, viral issues and literature based subjects.