4 time wasting habit you need to drop ASAP
17 Oct 2014
Sometimes, the habits we pick up in the workplace are beneficial. What we learn through watching others and doing the job for years can potentially improve our performance tenfold.
However, some habits we learn are better forgotten. Even when adopted with the best intentions, there are a few behaviours that are more likely to leave us on the back foot than enjoying our success.
If you’re already struggling with effective time management, these are four habits you should drop as soon as possible.
Eating at your desk
While going out for lunch may seem like a big time waster for some dedicated workers, chaining yourself to your desk will be doing more harm than good.
Getting outside each day – even just for a few minutes – can vastly improve your productivity and job satisfaction. This is because the break away from your desk gives your mind a break, allowing you to tackle your workload with a fresh perspective in the afternoon.
Working late
A poor work-life balance is unlikely to increase your performance. The longer you stay after dark, the more your work will suffer.
Remember to head home at the right time as often as possible to ensure you return the next day rested and ready to go.
Relying too much on technology
While some technology can be a vital project management tool, having screens in your face all day may be wasting more time than you save.
You may be tempted to interrupt your workflow whenever your phone buzzes with a message.
However, each time you stop working to deal with a technology distraction, you are wasting valuable minutes. This effect is compounded when you consider the time it takes to work back up to the level of engagement you had before being interrupted!
Being too hasty
When struggling to fit all your tasks into a single work day, you may try working faster to get more done. Unfortunately, this can often lead to more time wasted later when you have to backtrack and fix all the mistakes you made while in a rush.
Taking the time to do things properly now will ensure that you can confidently finish a project knowing you did a good job.