How to Conquer the Five Major Time Wasters?

* spreading yourself too thin

Taking on too many things at once can hinder organization. Set specific priorities. Do so for each day - for each hour, if necessary. Complete the most important items first and have the satisfaction of knowing they're out of the way. Whenever possible, don't accept any new projects unless they clearly align with your priorities.

* being afraid to delegate

Convince yourself that it is truly not necessary to handle everything alone. You can still be certain that things are being done the way you want them by simply overseeing the projects and tasks you delegate to others. Eventually, you'll learn that these things can be accomplished without your constant guidance.

* not wanting to say "no"

You can't say yes to everything. Again, look at your priorities and decide what you must do and what you really want to do. Turn down any requests or projects that do not fit that criterion.

* procrastinating

Everyone procrastinates - it's easy to let things slide. But the bottom line is that the work has do be done (or delegated), so get some of those unpleasant chores out of the way first. Divide large, daunting tasks into smaller, more manageable ones and tackle them one at a time. When you finish a particularly big or unpleasant task, take a break and treat yourself, even if it's only a decent lunch break. You'll be re-charged as you take on the next project.

* being a slave to the telephone

Screen your calls in some way (answer machine, receptionist, caller ID etc?). Keep personal calls at work to a minimum. Schedule no more than an hour out of your day to return all calls, if this is possible.

Vera Haitayan, Principal Consultant of The Leadership Laboratory., a California-based employee development and process improvement consulting firm and is the senior editor of The Stepping Stone Newsletter featuring leadership and process improvement best practices. http://www.1leadershiplab.com mailto: vera@1leadershiplab.com

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