Have you ever wondered how much time you spend doing your work doing things that do you no good?
When you get to the end of the day and realize that a task is behind you know that you could have taken better advantage of your time and that over time you are working with could be better spent with your family or friends.
Time-consuming villains are everywhere, and learning to avoid them will be the key to your day to yield much more and your productivity to increase considerably.
If you are determined to face these villains follow these tips to the end, and be willing to put them into practice as soon as possible.
Villain Number 1 – Your Mobile
Believe me, the biggest villain is in the palm of your hand and that’s why it’s so hard to resist.
On the one hand, cell phones are an important part of your job, and failing to answer them can cause you future problems. On the other hand, notifications often direct you to personal matters that can be resolved later, or even to some superfluous distraction.
That’s when you need to use your first weapon: resist digital temptations. For this, the best thing to do is to disable notifications from groups of friends and social networks that are not related to your work.
Another important thing is to explain your schedules to people who are in the habit of calling you or texting you more often.
And of course, don’t be the person who will pull random subjects with your friends, family, or post to your social networks during your work hours, this will eventually set you on a path of no return.
Villain Number 2 – Clutter
Not setting a monthly, weekly and even daily schedule can greatly delay your work.
Having the planning of what you have to produce and how much time you will have to do so prevents you from getting lost.
You need to set deadlines to resolve each issue, if you take too long to accomplish one task you will end up with no time to accomplish the others.
So your next weapon is knowing how to organize your tasks, so you set rules for yourself and keep your time from being wasted.
You can either have a physical calendar or use digital resources like apps and the Google calendar. Other methods like making lists and even spreading post-its on your desk are also worthwhile.
Villain Number 3 – Procrastination
It is very common that when faced with a more boring or laborious task we put it as the last thing to do.
This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, leaving hard work to the end of the day or the weekend is to increase the chances of not doing so and push that obligation into the future.
The problem is that in the future it will still be a boring task, so why not solve it all at once?
Your third weapon is: Give priority to the most difficult obligations, so you get rid of them faster and you can rest easy to do your other tasks throughout the day or week.
Villain Number 4 – Lack of Tools
Some software can make your job much easier and especially more agile.
Not knowing or mastering these tools can hurt your performance and cause you to waste hours on something you could solve in seconds.
To solve this problem and save your wasted hours you need weapon number four: study technology solutions that can be your best friends in everyday life.
If you know that these tools exist, but you don’t have the practice of using them, invest in a course, or ask someone to teach you, you will find that the time you will gain from it will be worth the investment.
The quality of your services also counts as a tool in your favor, having a good internet connection can save you from a lot of unnecessary delays.
Villain Number 5 – Don’t Turn Off the Brain
The last villain on our list requires a lot of discipline to be dodged, after all turning off the mind of outside issues and focusing on work is not easy.
Many factors around us can be distracting, whether it’s a television on, colleagues talking, or a worry hammering in our heads.
To get rid of this you will need the fifth weapon: to have a calm, organized working environment free from temptation and attention-grabbing elements.
If you are going to work in your home, avoid environments where other residents may be around, so be assured that you will not be interrupted.
If you are in the office, choose times to interact, arrange a coffee break with your colleagues and have a relaxed time, so you can catch up, but without interrupting each other.
Taking the necessary steps to make your day pay off much more may seem complicated, but it really depends solely on you and your discipline.
Finding the best paths may take some time, but surely if you follow all these tips the result will come faster.