There are two main categories that Time Wasters or Time Bandits can fall into. The first category is self-generated internal time. There are two main categories that time wasters or bandits can fall into. The first category is self-generated internal time wasters. These are the things you do yourself to waste time and are the easiest to control. The second category is external time wasters. These are the things that other people do to waste time. This can be more difficult to control, although it can be controlled with a little effort and ingenuity.

Let’s look at the auto-generated internal time wasters and some possible solutions:

1) Lack of planning and priorities. Many people never achieve anything because they don’t know where to start or how to proceed once they start. It is important that you keep a weekly schedule. List your priorities in order of importance. If necessary, discuss priorities with your boss or coworkers. Make a schedule that starts at the beginning of each week and incorporate all your priorities into the schedule with targets for completion dates. Make a list of each hour and what you should be working on during that hour. Tight schedule so there is not much time between projects. Too much time between projects is wasted time.

2) Disorganization. Disorganized people spend too much time looking for lost items. Keep your office neatly organized and clutter free. If you can’t do it yourself, enlist a friend or hire someone to help you.

3) Procrastination. This is a huge waste of time. Set a deadline for projects you don’t want to do. Plan a reward for yourself when you’re done. Work through the project in small parts until it is complete. Sometimes it helps to work on it first thing in the morning to get it out of the way.

The second category of time wasters are external time wasters. These are not so easy to control as they involve external factors. Here are some workarounds to help control or at least keep them to a minimum:

1) Visitors. If you get a lot of visitors in your work area, this could be a big waste of time for you. The solution is to move your desk so that your back is toward the door. This will make you appear less approachable. When someone stops to speak, get up. This will send the message that you don’t have time to chat. If all else fails to be honest. Tell them thanks for visiting, but tactfully let them know you need to get back to work.

2) Phone calls. Filter your phone calls. Let voicemail pick up your calls during the day when you’re busy. Schedule the time each day that you will return calls and let your customers know when that time will be. Keep your responses short and to the point, and end the conversation politely when you’ve accomplished your purpose. With a little practice, you can be personable and still keep the conversation short.

3) Mail. It can flood your desktop and take over before it does. Schedule time each day to check your mail. Make it a rule to handle each piece of mail only once. Throw out spam immediately, file “information only” mail in a file box to read later, and respond to others by phone or fax. Faxing a response is a great idea because the response is immediate and takes very little time.

4) Email. Please clean your email box daily and do not use your business email address for personal use.

With these solutions, your productivity will increase and your stress level at work will decrease. The best part is that you can say goodbye to time bandits forever! These are the things you do yourself to waste time and are the easiest to control. The second category is external time wasters. These are the things that other people do to waste time. This can be more difficult to control, although it can be controlled with a little effort and ingenuity.

Let’s look at the auto-generated internal time wasters and some possible solutions:

1) Lack of planning and priorities. Many people never achieve anything because they don’t know where to start or how to proceed once they start. It is important that you keep a weekly schedule. List your priorities in order of importance. If necessary, discuss priorities with your boss or coworkers. Make a schedule that starts at the beginning of each week and incorporate all your priorities into the schedule with targets for completion dates. Make a list of each hour and what you should be working on during that hour. Tight schedule so there is not much time between projects. Too much time between projects is wasted time.

2) Disorganization. Disorganized people spend too much time looking for lost items. Keep your office neatly organized and clutter free. If you can’t do it yourself, enlist a friend or hire someone to help you.

3) Procrastination. This is a huge waste of time. Set a deadline for projects you don’t want to do. Plan a reward for yourself when you’re done. Work through the project in small parts until it is complete. Sometimes it helps to work on it first thing in the morning to get it out of the way.

The second category of time wasters are external time wasters. These are not so easy to control as they involve external factors. Here are some workarounds to help control or at least keep them to a minimum:

1) Visitors. If you get a lot of visitors in your work area, this could be a big waste of time for you. The solution is to move your desk so that your back is toward the door. This will make you appear less approachable. When someone stops to speak, get up. This will send the message that you don’t have time to chat. If all else fails to be honest. Tell them thanks for visiting, but tactfully let them know you need to get back to work.

2) Phone calls. Filter your phone calls. Let voicemail pick up your calls during the day when you’re busy. Schedule the time each day that you will return calls and let your customers know when that time will be. Keep your responses short and to the point, and end the conversation politely when you’ve accomplished your purpose. With a little practice, you can be personable and still keep the conversation short.

3) Email. It can flood your desktop and take over before it does. Schedule time each day to check your mail. Make it a rule to handle each piece of mail only once. Throw out spam immediately, file “information only” mail in a file box to read later, and respond to others by phone or fax. Faxing a response is a great idea because the response is immediate and takes very little time.

4) Email. Please clean your email box daily and do not use your business email address for personal use.

With these solutions, your productivity will increase and your stress level at work will decrease. The best part is that you can say goodbye to time bandits forever!