TimeWasters: A Quick List

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One of the ways that we can best manage our time is to identify certain things that have the potential of being "time wasters." Whether it's because we didn't plan on them or because they just have a way of taking more time then they should.

Go through the following list to see which of these activities may be robbing you of valuable time.

• Telephone interruptions.
• Visitors dropping in without appointments.
• Meetings, both scheduled and unscheduled.
• Crisis situations for which no plans were possible.
• Lack of objectives, priorities, and deadlines.
• Cluttered desk and personal disorganization.
• Involvement in routine and detail that should be delegated to others.
• Attempting too much at once and underestimating the time it takes to do it.
• Failure to set up clear lines of responsibility and authority.
• Inadequate, inaccurate, or delayed information from others.
• Indecision and procrastination.
• Unclear, or lack of, communication and instruction.
• Inability to say no.
• Trying to accomplish a task with unclear expectations or standards.
• Fatigue.