OfficeTime.net, creator of the popular OfficeTime time and expense tracking software for Mac and Windows computers and iOS devices, recently conducted a survey of working professionals on their Biggest Time Killers.
Fifty-three percent of respondents were business owners, freelancers or executives, while 39% work in professional “white collar” positions. Survey participants were asked to name their top-three time killers. “Email” was named as this year’s biggest time killer by 47% of respondents.
Other top five time killers included procrastination (42%), social networking (36%), meetings (34%), and surfing the Internet (30%). Rounding out the Top 10 were non business-related conversations (24%), dealing with computer / technical issues (23%), “bureaucracy / red tape” (19%), travel time / commuting (14%), and playing computer games (10%).
To help counteract these Top Time Killers, OfficeTime.net offers its tips for prioritizing how people spend their time each day:
Priority #1. It’s important to recognize that while some issues that arise are not known at the beginning of each day, some of the urgent issues in our lives are known right now. Each Monday, take a moment and list the hot, urgent items you know must be done this week.
Priority #2. Priority 2 items are not only business-oriented. Be sure to include time with family, time to work out, time to feed the soul and body. After those items are scheduled, add in firm deadlines for the week – and then block out time before the deadline to work on the project.
Priority #3. All the rest of it. While the inbox is never empty and all the rest must be fit in as well, by going for #1 and #2 priorities first, your own Top Time Killers will be less of a distraction, resulting in more free time and more room for “all the rest.”