How to Eliminate Time Wasters at Work

There are many threats that organised managers have to overcome in order to maintain an efficient schedule. Here are 3 tips to eliminate time wasters at work.

1. Avoid engaging in wasteful conversations

There is nothing wrong with building rapport with your employees vis-à-vis small talk, but some managers make the mistake of engaging in mindless chatter about topics that are unrelated to the job. Not only does this undermine productivity, it may cause employees to distance themselves from the manager. They are less likely to ask questions and share concerns because they do not want to be drawn into long-winded conversations. Organised managers will stick to the topic, express their opinions clearly and move on. They treat each other as an opportunity to learn something new about their employees rather than a time to gossip.

 2. Maximise the downtime

There may be days where you find yourself without any urgent deadlines and you get a little comfortable with the slow pace of the day. Rather than surfing the internet aimlessly, use the downtime to prepare for busy times ahead. For instance, while all projects have a deadline to abide by, you could set up “start dates” which you must get started on for these projects. On top of that, planning “to-do” lists is a good way to stay organised when juggling several projects. Another suggestion to utilise pockets of free time is to catch up with your employees. Pick up the telephone or walk around the office to interact with them. Check with them on the progress of their work and listen to them more than you talk. You may gain some valuable insight during the process.

 3. Overcome procrastination

Delivering negative feedback to an employee or conducting performance reviews is never an easy thing for most managers and they tend to put them off until the pressure of time is weighing upon them. Rather than pushing the tasks away or waste them complaining about it, replace your negativity with encouragement and a “can-do” spirit. When you remind yourself how much you dread a certain task, you waste precious time. Instead, dive right in and tackle those tasks fearlessly to prove that you are a reliable and organised manager.