My Four Biggest Time Wasters

Just ask someone... Do you have time?

And almost to a person, you'll get the same response, and that would be....

NO!

It seems to be the bane of our generation. But do you think it's because our time-management skills are so much worse that those of our parents? Or are there just SO many more ways to be distracted now, than there was even 10 years ago!

This really got to be a problem for me when I first started working from home. All of a sudden I lacked the structure and accountability of working a "9-5" job, and for the first time in my life, I struggled with time management issues.

And then I realized...The problem was NOT that I wasn't working hard. The problem was that I was working exactly the same way I'd been working for 29+ years! Think about it...When I worked for the City I may have officially been called a Laboratory Supervisor, but what I REALLY was, was just a glorified traffic cop. Directing resources, answering calls, questions, complaints, emails, changing schedules, priorities, working at my desk, in the lab, in the stock room, you name it. I constantly jumped from one crises to another, 5 minutes here, 20 minutes there. It was extremely unusual for me to get even 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to work on a specific task in a month, never mind in a week! It may have worked for me then, but it sure wasn't the best way to run a home business! As it turned out....

I was constantly wasting my time without realizing it!

So what was the answer? For me, the answer was in identifying and addressing the areas in which I was wasting my time. And here are MY big 4, (one of which may surprise you).

1) Interruptions- This particular time-waster was such a problem for me, that I actually could have listed it as number 1, 2, 3, AND 4. Probably due to years of conditioning with the City, I found that it was almost  physically impossible for me to ignore an interruption. If the phone rang, I felt compelled to answer it. If I heard an email come in, I might as well go read it, because I lost all of my concentration until I did. So I had to get really tough with myself. Since I am seemingly unable to ignore interruptions, I force myself to actually silence the phones (both the landline AND the mobile line), and exit my web mail for a couple of hours every day. At first, it almost threw me into a panic attack, but now I find myself looking forward to my "un-connected" time. And because I can now allow myself to get thoroughly engrossed in a project, it's amazing how often those 2 hours turns into 3 or 3 1/2 hours instead!

2) Lack of Focus- Me? Lack of Focus? Maybe not in the classic sense, but here's what my version of lack of focus looks like.... I'll be sewing diligently on a project, (during my "unconnected time, of course), and suddenly I'll think of a detail I could add that would be absolutely fabulous, BUT it would require a special piece of hardware to work properly. But where could I find such an item? So I put down my project and RUN over to the computer to begin a search for it. And I don't find exactly what I need, but what I DO find is some incredibly cool looking zipper pulls which would have looked super on the design I was working on last year at this time, and before you know it, it's 4:45pm, I've just wasted 2 hours of my most productive time and it's time to start shutting down for the day. So now, when an idea like this comes to my mind, (and it happens all the time), I add it to one of my lists...of stuff I can research while watching TV later... or stuff I can work on this weekend when this project is done.

3) A Disorganized Workspace- When I retired and started pursuing this business full time, my workspace was located on the landing upstairs, but then as the business grew, we got a new computer and had to locate it downstairs on the main floor. Then, as our inventory started to takeover BOTH upstairs bedrooms, we had to move a great deal of it to the basement. So before I knew it, my business was spread out over 3 different floors and I was spending WAY too much time going back and forth between the three. It was GREAT exercise, but that was all that was great about it! The studio we built in 2009 solved most of these issues and being organized has saved me a LOT of time.... of course I gained SEVEN pounds the first year I was in it, but that's a whole 'nuther' thing!

4) Not Enough Time Off or Time for Myself- Does this surprise you? Well here's what I found out about working from home.... It's ALL TOO EASY to work all the time. And since I genuinely LIKE the work I'm doing, it's way too common for me to work far too long without a change in routine. I have found out since, that I actually get MORE done by keeping regular hours, and by taking regular breaks, ie; doing something completely different. When I step back from my work in this way, it re-energizes me and actually makes me more effective!

So there you have it folks, those are the four big time-wasters that I struggle with. Do any of these surprise or resonate with you? Or maybe you've identified other time-wasters that you are more susceptible to? If so...

Please share them in the space provided for comments below.  :)

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