By Kenneth C. Vincent, Featured Contributor
Yes, of course you are, we all do. But you may be wasting time in ways that you are not conscious of.
Here are some hidden ways that managers waste time:
Training: Of course we all value the need for training staff. But, are you training the right people on the right things? No one is good at everything. No one has time to do everything. So, the question is why don’t you train some people to do what you don’t do well, or can’t seem to find the time to do yourself? I know, you don’t have time to train them.
Multitasking: All studies show that there is no such thing as multitasking. The brain can only focus on one thing at a time. So every time you switch tasks while trying to multitask the brain has to refocus. Studies prove that it can take up to ten minutes for the brain to find a new rhythm. Stick to a task until it is completed.
Scheduling: Every person has a time when they are most alert and most productive. For some it is early morning, for others it may be afternoon or even evening hours. Schedule your hardest tasks for those times. It will take a lot less time than doing them in time frames when you are less productive.
Distractions: You don’t have to take every phone call right when it comes (cell phones not withstanding). You don’t have to answer every letter when you open it. Batch return calls. Collect all the written communications requiring a response and do them while you are in the writing mode. Distractions become another form of multitasking. Every interruption requires you to change gears again.
Doing that project that you dread: Oh yes, we all have them and they all have to be done at some point. So do that task first thing. Get it out of the way. If you don’t, it will keep popping into your head repeatedly all day. Dreaded tasks, unlike fine wine and a good cheese, don’t get better with age.
Those are just some of the hidden time wasters that I have experienced. Do you have others to share?
