Locked lesson.
About this lesson
Identify common time wasters in various work settings and learn practical ways to overcome them, such as managing digital distractions, reducing procrastination, and creating a focused work environment.
Exercise files
Download this lesson’s exercise file.
2-2 Identifying and Eliminating Time Wasters - Exercise.docx62.9 KB
Quick reference
Identifying and Eliminating Time Wasters
Identify common time wasters in various work settings and learn practical ways to overcome them, such as managing digital distractions, reducing procrastination, and creating a focused work environment.
Notes
Recognizing Time-Wasting Activities
Identify activities that hinder productivity like excessive social media browsing, attending unnecessary meetings, or multitasking when focus is required on one task.
Reducing Procrastination
- Combat procrastination by breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
- Set deadlines for each step to create clear progression paths.
- Discuss your goals with someone who can provide accountability and motivation.
- Use project management platforms to track your progress and create motivation.
Handling Digital Distractions
- Try turning off your phone, activating "Do Not Disturb" mode, or keeping your phone out of sight.
- Designate specific times during the day to check email and messages.
- Use apps or browser extensions that restrict access to distracting websites during work hours.
Creating a Focused Work Environment
- Declutter your workspace both physically and digitally.
- Communicate your boundaries and expectations to colleagues, letting them know when you're available for collaboration and when you need uninterrupted focus.
- Prioritize time for deep work: focus solely on high-impact, cognitively demanding tasks without distractions.
- 00:04 Welcome back.
- 00:05 In this lesson we'll dig into common time wasters in both traditional and
- 00:10 remote work settings, and discuss effective ways to overcome them.
- 00:14 The first step in addressing time wasters is calling them out.
- 00:19 I'm talking about things like excessive social media browsing,
- 00:23 attending unnecessary meetings, even attempting to multitask when
- 00:28 you should be focusing on one task that all counts here.
- 00:32 Keep in mind that what constitutes a time waster might differ for each individual
- 00:37 but it's crucial to recognize what's hindering your productivity.
- 00:42 Procrastination is another significant time waster.
- 00:46 Sometimes, yes, we're overwhelmed and sometimes we're tired,
- 00:52 it happens to the best of us, but to combat this try breaking tasks into
- 00:57 smaller, more manageable steps, and then set deadlines for each step.
- 01:02 Smaller tasks can feel a lot easier to handle.
- 01:06 And additionally, discuss your goals with someone who can hold you accountable and
- 01:12 motivate you to stay on track.
- 01:14 It may help to put your tasks on a project management platform checklist, for
- 01:19 example, because you might feel compelled to get them done when you know other
- 01:23 people will see your progress.
- 01:25 And perhaps your progress can help motivate them as well.
- 01:30 Digital distractions can be a big problem.
- 01:33 I'm talking about email notifications, social media popups, and instant messages.
- 01:39 They can steal your focus and your productivity, and
- 01:43 there's some easy ways to minimize these distractions.
- 01:47 First of all, turn off your phone or silence it.
- 01:51 Activate Do Not Disturb mode.
- 01:54 Put your phone in a desk drawer.
- 01:56 Put it in your backpack.
- 01:58 For so many of us, our phone's very presence can distract us.
- 02:03 So take it out of the equation for as long as you can.
- 02:07 Set specific times during the day to check your email and messages.
- 02:12 Avoid checking them constantly.
- 02:14 I like to check email before I start work, and then not again until lunch time.
- 02:20 I need my focus, so it's a limit that I've set for myself.
- 02:25 If you want to set some hard limits, you could also use apps or
- 02:29 browser extensions that limit your access to distracting websites during work hours.
- 02:34 But creating a focused work environment is crucial for minimizing time wasters.
- 02:39 So, consider doing the following,
- 02:42 declutter your workspace, both physically and digitally.
- 02:47 Not only is it a good idea to clean off your desk and remove things that you don't
- 02:52 need in your eyeline, but organizing files and removing any unnecessary items or
- 02:57 apps from your devices can make a difference too.
- 03:00 If you can't be without a certain app, turn off the notifications.
- 03:04 That can be a big help.
- 03:07 And think about communicating your boundaries and expectations to colleagues.
- 03:12 Let them know when you're available for collaboration and
- 03:16 when you need uninterrupted focus.
- 03:18 In an office, close your door, put on headphones,
- 03:22 even put up a DO NOT DISTURB sign.
- 03:25 But prioritizing tasks for
- 03:27 deep work during which you focus solely on high impact,
- 03:31 cognitively demanding tasks without any distractions is essential to your success.
- 03:38 In the next lesson, we'll discuss the art of effective delegation to boost your
- 03:43 productivity and optimize your time management skills further.
- 03:47 We'll see you then.
Lesson notes are only available for subscribers.