Embracing Simple: 25 WAYS YOU’RE WASTING TIME ON A DAILY BASIS

Christina Tiplea of Embracing Simple writes:

If you ask almost anyone what they believe to be their most precious resource, I can assure you with 99% certainty that they would say time.

We all want more of it….

More time to get things done.

More time to spend with our loved ones.

More time to find out our calling in this life.

While we all crave more time, there are plenty of ways we waste the time we already have on a daily basis.

Today I’m sharing the 25 ways you’re wasting time on a daily basis, and how to fix it so you can reclaim your time back!

25 WAYS YOU’RE WASTING TIME ON A DAILY BASIS:

1. WATCHING TOO MUCH TV

(I’m so guilty of this). Instead of watching hours of tv every night, try reading a great book that captures your attention in the same way that tv does. The Girl on the Train has been a recent favorite of mine.

2. EATING JUNK FOOD

Fueling your body with good food that will give you energy instead of junk food that will drain you can help you to be more productive! You can find some easy and healthy snack ideas here. If you’re looking for a healthier snack option that is a good substitute when you’re having junk food cravings, this kettle corn has been a new favorite for me recently. It helps that the packaging is super cute too!

3. ANSWERING YOUR PHONE WHEN YOU’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING

Answering your phone when you’re in the middle of getting work done is a surefire way to kill your productivity entirely. If you know the call isn’t something urgent, let it go to voicemail so you can call them back when you are finished with the task at hand.

4. BEING ADDICTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA

Are you someone that is constantly refreshing your Facebook or Instagram feeds looking for the latest updates from your friends? Social media can be a huge time suck if you let it be. I also know that it’s easy to fall prey to the social media trap when you aren’t aware of how much time you are spending on social media each day.

Try deleting all social media apps off your phone to limit your access throughout the day and only allow yourself to “check in” once or twice a day so that you aren’t spending huge amounts of time on social media in general. You’ll likely feel more free by not checking it all as much too!

5. CHECKING YOUR EMAIL CONSTANTLY

If you find yourself checking your email multiple times every hour, there is a good chance that you are spending way too much of your day in your inbox. While it’s important to be responsive with emails, especially work-related ones, it’s usually not necessary to be checking your inbox 10-15 times per day.

Instead of constantly monitoring your emails and letting it interfere with your productivity, try checking in just three times per day so you can focus more time on getting your to-do list done, and less time getting sidetracked.

6. FAILING TO PUT THINGS BACK WHERE THEY BELONG

Sometimes when we get home from a long day, it’s easy to take the lazy route and toss our coats over chairs, drop our keys on a random table, and kick off our shoes and leave them whenever they may land.

The truth is though, if you take an extra minute or two to put these items where they belong when you get home, you will likely save yourself even more time when you’re trying to look for them the next time you leave the house. Spend the time putting things back where they belong so you don’t have to waste more time later on trying to find them!

7. EMAILING SOMEONE BACK AND FORTH

If you have an email chain with over 20 emails going back and forth with someone over some small details, it’s likely time to pick up the phone. While I usually always prefer using email over the phone for work, there does come a point where it is much more efficient to pick up the phone and have a ten minute conversation to hammer out the details rather than spending 30 minutes continuing to go back and forth with your email chain and getting nowhere.

8. NOT HAVING A SCHEDULE IN PLACE

Having a loose schedule in place for your day helps to put your brain on auto-pilot so that you don’t have to put so much energy into figuring out “what comes next” in your day. Even if your schedule changes on a daily basis, try to put a rough plan in place every night for what the next day is going to look like. It will likely help you to get through your day with confidence knowing that you are being intentional with your time.