Biggest Time Wasters at Work

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We are three weeks into 2012, and the year is off to a solid start. For many of us, we’ve made (and most likely already broken), some great resolutions for the New Year, like: “When the pace slows down, I’m finally going to take a vacation.” “When I can make time, I’m definitely going to spend more time with the family this year.” And for most of us, “If only I could save some time, I could devote more time to myself and get back into shape.”

Yep. It’s that time of year: a time for positive visions, goals and hope. While we are optimists, and hate to burst your bubble, we must tell you the truth related to time: It is impossible to make time, save time, or find time. Each of us are gifted with the exact same number of minutes to use each day: 1440, to be exact. The only way to reach our goals is to use the time we are allotted differently, or to not waste the time we have been given.

So, if we can’t give you time, we can at least expose some of the biggest time wasters in hopes that you can identify where your time is going and how you might want to use your allotted minutes differently. The time wasters that follow are in no particular order, as how we waste our time is unique and personal.

• Surfing the Internet: According to a recent article by Allyson Shontell in the Business Insider War Room, 48% of employees surveyed admit to surfing the Internet for personal use. It’s fun, educational, recreational and never ending – endless information is just a click away. So many temptations!

• Socializing with Co-workers: Salary.com’s fourth annual Wasting Time at Work study reveals that 64% of us waste one hour or less a day at work; 22% waste approximately 2 hours a day; and 14% admit to wasting 3 or more hours on a daily basis. Thirty-three percent of the survey respondents cited socializing with co-workers as a time waster, second only to surfing the web. However, talking/chatting with co-workers is not completely a waste of time since it builds camaraderie and it might even be considered rude to not converse.

• Email Addiction: While email is a phenomenal tool for increasing communication efficiency, it’s also high on the list of the biggest time wasters, incessantly interrupting our focus and impacting productivity. We live in a hyper-connected world with the expectation of a response 24/7. Many leaders today feel overwhelmed with the number of emails that must be read on a daily basis, and continually fearful that they’ll miss something important. Wading through the 90% of non-important emails to respond to the 10% that are critical is reported as a huge waste of time.

• Meetings: It seems the higher up we go on the corporate ladder, the more meetings we attend. A quick review of research indicates that as many as 42% of those surveyed cite attending meetings as a waste of time. It is estimated that 50% of all time spent in meetings is wasted. If only they would tell us ahead of time which half of the meeting would be worthwhile, we could better plan how we spend our time.

• Multitasking: AKA: The buzz word of the 1990’s. Everyone likes to think that they are good at juggling multiple balls at the same time, but the truth is, we are typically most effective and productive when we focus on one thing at a time. If you’ve ever worked hard throughout the day, rushed from project to project, interruption to interruption, and then looked at your “to-do” list at 5:00 only to discover that you have not accomplished a single action on your list; congratulations, you’re most likely a multitasker.

• Conducting Personal Business: In the Salary.com survey, 6.8% of the respondents admitted to conducting personal business while at work; 3.1% said they run errands during work hours; and 2.3% acknowledged that they make personal phone calls on company time. The challenge is it’s getting harder and harder to balance our individual life and responsibilities, with our work responsibilities because the lines between our personal life and business life are getting increasingly more blurred.

It’s true that we are each gifted with the same number of seconds, minutes and hours each day, but have you noticed how some people manage to use their time so much more effectively? With time, there are no re-runs, only fast forwards. As we begin the new year, take time to reflect on where you currently spend your time and where, ideally, you’d like to spend your time. Identify the time wasters that are robbing you of your full potential, and put an action plan into place to take control of your time.

Did we forget any other common, or not so common, time wasters? Let us know below, and what you do to combat them.