How to Stop Wasting Time Part 1

Have you ever said, "I've GOT to quit wasting my time!"

See if you can identify with this situation. You have a to-do list in front of you when you wake up. You start making coffee and checking your phone, and before you know it, an hour has passed. Instead of having a productive morning, you spent an hour on Reddit looking at memes.

Yeah. I'm sure I've been in this situation a few times.

When you have tasks to do, wasting time is irritating and disheartening. And here's the worst part: It's difficult to interrupt the loop of squandering time because it generally leads to additional wasting.

The good news is that there are several basic yet powerful tactics you may employ to quit wasting time and start focusing on the things that truly matter.

How to Stop Wasting Time

Determine your true desires and goals.

We waste time a lot of the time because we don't have clear goals and desires to work toward. It offers you focus and direction when you figure out what you actually want out of your workday, year, or life.

Now, I understand that answering broad existential questions about what you want from life can be frightening, so let's focus on defining specific work-related objectives.

Plan out your goals for the week at the start of each week. Making to-do lists with particular chores, such as cleaning up your email, or establishing wider goals, such as completing a project by the end of the week, are both examples of this.

Make a list of your goals and tasks, or enter them into your task management tool. Review your goals at the start of each day and decide what you need to do to achieve them.

Return to your list of goals and focus on the next activity if you find yourself squandering time.

Make a Schedule for Your Day

Although it may appear inflexible, planning out your day is a highly effective approach for reducing time waste. Assigning certain duties to specific times of the day might help you stay on target and restore concentration if you get off course.

Of course, there may be occasions when your schedule must alter on the fly, but it will be easier to prioritize and re-prioritize your chores if you've evaluated how long each item will take and when you'll have time to do it.

Scheduling your day is also beneficial because it serves as a good indicator of whether or not you're setting realistic goals for yourself. If you sit down to plan your day and find yourself running out of room, you may need to stretch certain deadlines or enlist the assistance of a coworker.

This will also prevent you from becoming overwhelmed by your workload, which is one of the most common reasons why individuals procrastinate in the first place.

Examine your list of goals, tasks, and projects as you plan your day. Consider how long each task will take you and which tasks are most important. Ideally, you should plan your most critical chores first so that you can still get important work done if your schedule changes later in the day.

Remember to arrange time for eating and relaxing breaks, and be honest about how you'll spend them. If you know you can't stop yourself from checking Instagram in between chores, schedule it and set a timer.

Get up early

You have more time in the day if you get up early. It allows you to exercise, read, or complete critical tasks. Furthermore, getting up early helps to set the tone for the rest of the day. It provides you momentum for the rest of the day when you get up and do something meaningful right away.

Even if you don't use your additional time in the morning to work toward your objectives, allowing yourself the time to wake up and get ready for the day means you'll be less distracted at work.

For example, if you exercise first thing in the morning, you've eliminated one potential distraction for when you're working. You may go about your day knowing that you've already exercised, and you won't have to take time off work to do it. (Plus, studies show that exercise increases productivity and reduces fatigue at work.)

And here's a pro-tip: avoid social media and other distracting websites first thing in the morning if you want to save time. Nothing is more irritating than waking up to something that evokes bad feelings or clogs your mind.