Identify your time stealers

Constant interruptions:

How many times in your day do you get interrupted by people with questions that honestly aren’t that important or that urgent? Or people who have to tell you about their work or a meeting they have just attended? 

It might be a little less if you are working remotely, but then you might have family interruptions never-the-less. Every time you stop what you are doing and allow the distraction, you are signalling that it is acceptable behaviour. Instead, if someone says "Have you got a second?" or "Are you busy?", reply, "Actually, now isn't a good time. I need to finish what I am doing, but I will be straight over to you as soon as I am done."  

Each time you stop what you are doing and then restart later, you waste time and energy. Train the people around you to respect your time and boundaries.  

Being always available to others doesn't make you a good leader, it makes you inefficient.  

Your phone:

Most people have their phone within a meter of them at all times. Back when the phone was just a phone it wasn't so distracting. Now smart phones and apps are designed to draw you in and steal your time.  

Every time someone comments in a Whatsapp group or likes a picture on Facebook, your phone pings. Your emails, candy crush, text messages, emails... ping, buzz, flash. You pick it up, look and either ignore it or lose minutes, maybe even hours getting drawn in. Each notification breaks your concentration and you have to reset your brain and attention again. 

The solution is easy. Turn your notifications off. Put the phone in your draw if you need to, or simply place it face down on your desk while you focus on the task at hand.  

According to the New York Times, the average office worker gets interrupted every 11 minutes. And it takes 25 minutes to return to focused work after each interruption. these time stealers are real. 

Noise: 

When you need to focus, you need to be in the zone. Working in a noisy or busy environment when trying to do focused work is really challenging. You can't help notice that person walk past you, or two colleagues chatting at their desk. 

Sometimes the buzz of the office or a busy coffee shop can help change your energy, but for concentrated focused work, silence is golden. 

If you can, work offsite or create a quiet, private area (home or office) where you can focus. You don't need to hang out there all the time - just when you need to focus. I have been known to take my pad and pen to the park on a summers day, just to get some clarity.  

If that's not possible for you, let the people around you know that you need to focus and not be disturbed. I work from home and my family know that when I am at my desk it's no interruptions time. 

Communication is key to asserting your boundaries. 

For most leaders, the quieter the space, the higher the productivity. So create quiet space. 

Timing: 

Trying to get your head down when everyone is arriving is a bad idea. You will get the "good morning" and "how are you?" You don't want to appear rude. These impromptu conversations are the foundations of relationship building, so work with them, not against them. 

I schedule my urgent and important work for just after the kids have gone to school and work until they come home. Other people choose to start earlier in the day, before everyone else arrives or stay later.

Highly productive people know when they work at their best, and what environment suits them, and craft their day around that. 

Schedule your work around timings. The to-do list tends to get done before lunch as everyone is focused and hungry. Conversations and creativity tends to happen naturally after lunch.

Strategising and planning in the morning, when your mind is clear and fresh seems to work for many. Look at your energy, mindset and environmental factors, and schedule your work around them. 

Poor communication: 

How many times have you had to chase something because it's late or redo the work because it wasn't done properly? 

Perhaps you waste time resolving conflict or fixing issues.

Poor communication leads to so much wasted time. When you are communicating, be clear about who is doing what, by when and what your expectations are. Ask people to confirm their understanding and ask clarifying questions.

You want to make sure your message is understood, with no ambiguity.

It's often easier to pick up the phone, rather than engaging in email ping pong. So master your communication skills and get your time back