How to Get Your Wasted Time Back: 6 Productivity Tips That Work!

Here’s how to stop wasting time on unproductive tasks.

No matter how much you need to get done, time won’t stop! It keeps on ticking until the day is done.

If you find it difficult to be productive at work and at home, there are a few simple tricks you can do to get your wasted time back, boost productivity, and make sure you’re someone in the office that people can count on.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Avoid the internet.

It’s one of the biggest distractors for employees, especially those who are bored. If you need a break from intense work activity, don’t be tempted by the internet; you could get lost down its rabbit hole. Instead, set a timer for 5 minutes, get up from your desk, and move around, do some stretches or take a quick walk. Then, you’ll sit back down, refreshed and ready to go again.

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2. Manage emails.

Another reality of today’s digital world is responding to emails. Lots of communication takes place via email, but it can become a huge time-suck. Stay productive and plan your day so that you answer emails in chunks, say 15 minutes first thing in the morning, 15 minutes before lunch, 15 minutes mid-afternoon, and a few minutes before you leave for the day. This way, you’ll still have larger chunks of time to work on important projects.

3. Be calculated with meetings.

Meetings can also take up a huge portion of your day. There’s not much you can do about having to attend meetings, but if you’re in charge of setting up a meeting, be sure to only call your people together if it’s really necessary.

4. Get off social media.

While it’s fun to get connected with friends and colleagues over social media, it’s also very easy to waste time on it. Be strict about limiting your time on social media channels and you’ll gain back valuable work time.

5. Limit your travel time.

If you’re traveling far to get to and from work, there are a few things you can do to cut down wasted travel time. If you’re able to move closer to your job, you can join the throngs of happy people who live near their place of employment. If that’s not a possibility, inquire about working remotely one or two days a week or coming in earlier or later so you can avoid rush hour. If possible, take public transportation and start your workday on the train!

6. Stop trying to do it all.

While it’s easy to take the reigns on projects to ensure you can control what goes on, you may be trying to do it all and getting poor results. Start delegating tasks that other people on your team can do. Then, watch how your schedule will free up time for you to focus on higher-level thinking or management tasks.

Want to stay productive once you get home, too? Avoid the television. TV-watching takes up a huge part of the average American’s day. Instead of using the TV to unwind, and get sucked into watching show after show, make it a treat. Choose one day a week where you can binge-watch, or reserve a 30- to 60-minute time slot each day for your favorite shows. You’ll be surprised at how much time you can free up by limiting TV.

These time-sucks can be a real hindrance to your productivity and job performance. Stay on top of your daily schedule, be aware of the tasks that can decrease your efficiency, and stop wasting time on unproductive tasks.