Are These Bandits Causing Crime in Your Workplace?

Sounds like this should be a headline for a news article instead of a time management article doesn't it? Perhaps this should be a major headline though - because there are many culprits lying in wait to steal from you and unless you are aware of them, you'll soon fall victim to them. These bad-boys are everywhere and it bodes well for you to take heed.

They're called ... Time Bandits!

They come in many different disguises and this is what they can look like:

People - that's right, your very own co-workers, or even your boss, just dropping by whenever they have a need to ask you something, or 'just to run something by you ... quickly' - yeah, right.

Email - sure, checking email all day long may give you a sense of stimulation and even importance, but at what cost?

Phone - this tool is there for your convenience not theirs. Why is it then that you are constantly dropping what YOU are doing to pick it up whenever IT rings?

Procrastination - it's been referred to as 'the ultimate thief of time.' We all do it, but how much, and to what degree do YOU do it? 

Hmmmmm, on the surface, they all look so innocent don't they? So what, you checked your email twice now in the past 10 minutes. What's the big deal? The big deal is these innocent little thieves add up to huge amounts of time.

And what exactly do these constant interruptions cost you? 

Experts agree that it can take up to 15 minutes to return to your task at the same level of focus you were at prior to the interruption. By the way, that 15 minutes does NOT include the actual time of the interruption. 

How many times in a day do you get interrupted by these Time Bandits? Several I'll bet. 

Do you ever get to the end of your workday wondering how it is that you 'worked' all day but got nothing accomplished? Get out your calculator because you may want to do some math here. The numbers will probably shock you.

So, what can you do to stop these nasty thieves from stealing your valuable time?

Work uninterrupted as much as possible. That means you need to change the way you allow these Time Bandits into your day. _Here are some 'self-defense' tips to help you out.

Put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. Ask others for some time and space so you can get that project or task completed.

Unless your job is to only answer email - quit checking it constantly. Schedule specific times throughout the day to work on your email and limit the amount of time you're going to spend it.

Let your voice mail pick up your calls so you can get work done.

Quit putting off what you know needs to get done. If it's important for you to complete it - then do it!  The dread of doing it takes up more time and energy than actually doing it. 

With a bit of practice you can soon take control over the outcome of your day rather than falling victim to these Time Bandits. Even slowing down one of them will gain you tons of time to get your work done.

And isn't 'MORE TIME' what you need?

Now, get on with your day!