How To Identify Time Wasting Habits

Don't we all wish we can maximize the effectiveness of every minute of our time?

It is critically important to identify the time wasting habits in our lives, the little seemingly harmless activities that are actually sucking time from us without our knowledge. These are the activities that cause you to wonder at the end of the day, where has all my time gone to?

The first step to correcting your time wasting habits, like all bad habits, is to identify where you have gone wrong. To that end, I urge you to try out this little experiment for a day.

Productivity Journal

Invest in a journal, not just any journal, but a journal that clearly depicts your productive activity. This journal is to be used to help you keep track of your schedule that will lead to you reaching your goal. At the end of every hour or at intervals that better fit your schedule, take notes on what you have done for the past hour.

Make this time log as detailed as possible, indicating exactly how many minutes you spend on each activity in the day. Make every minute accountable.

Busy vs Productive

Look closer, and you will realize how much time you have actually spent in checking your emails, daydreaming, walking to and from your desk, getting coffee or water, accepting unnecessary phone calls, gossiping, spinning your pen on your desk, deciding what to eat for lunch, and a whole bunch of other non-productive related activities.

Once you become conscious of your "A" activity (goal producing activity) vs. "B" activity (busy doing much of nothing), you will probably be so excited at this newfound knowledge that you get addicted to this activity, and at the end of a week, you will have a firm grasp on how to identify your time wasting habits.

Then and only then, would you be able to change your habits and watch all the unproductive activity slowly disappear from your time logs, and finally start having more fruitful and effective days!

So start today, start now, identify your time wasting habits and begin your journey towards a more fulfilling way of life!

Hasheem Francis is the Co-founder and CEO of Built To Prosper Companies. Hasheem Francis is a best selling author, keynote speaker, recognized industry thought leader, and an expert on executive business and leadership development.
By Hasheem Francis   |  Source