Part I
The interesting thing about time is that we all have exactly the same amount to work with each day. None of us can claim discrimination or unjust treatment when it comes to time, because we all have 24-hour days—no more, no less. And God will hold us accountable for our use of time. Paul wrote the Ephesians that they should “be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).
Therefore, it would be very helpful if we would find out where we’re wasting time so that we can plug the holes. Do you have any idea of where your time goes, or of the little things you do that waste time? I want to encourage you to take this matter seriously. Ask God to reveal to you where your time is wasted and then take some action that will save your time.
Here are some common time wasters:
Time Waster #1 – Interruptions
Every time we stop and start anything we’re working on, we lose time and we lose concentration. So, when we start again, it takes us awhile to get back mentally where we were before the interruption. Therefore, anything we can do to minimize our interruptions will save us time.
Think about who interrupts you the most. On your job it may be your boss or co-workers or employees, asking questions or giving information. If you work with someone who is a habitual interrupter, could you nicely suggest a set time to get together each day to cover everything at one time? Many of us are bad about interrupting people unnecessarily and we should all be sensitive to this.
Ask yourself what would reduce the number of interruptions from that person. Perhaps if you took time to do some training in some area, they wouldn’t have to ask you so many questions. Maybe if some information were available in a written format, they wouldn’t need to talk to you so often. You might be surprised to discover a simple solution for that habitual interrupter.
If casual interruptions are a problem—the “Hi, how are you” type—try to position your desk or your body so that it discourages these kinds of interruptions. When you look up and give people eye contact as they walk by, you invite them to interrupt you. So find ways to nicely avoid eye contact. Turn your desk so that your shoulder or back is to the traffic flow. Get rid of the candy dish that invites everyone to stop and chat.
How about those self-interruptions? How many times a day do you interrupt yourself unnecessarily? Maybe you’re working away on something and you think, “Oh, I need to call so-and-so,” so you stop what you’re doing and make a call. Well, unless there is a real need to call at that minute, you should group those phone calls and eliminate that self-interruption.
When I’m writing—which it seems like I do all the time!—I set little goals and rewards for myself. I’ll say, “Now, as soon as you get this much done, you can stop and get a cup of tea,” and those little self-rewards encourage me to stick with it and not interrupt myself.
I doubt you’d throw a wad of money out the window, and you really need to think of your time as even more valuable to you. If you’re interrupting yourself often, then you’re just throwing time right out the window.
However, before we leave this first common time waster of interruptions, we need to all be very aware that not all interruptions are a waste of time. Some are a part of your job description. In one of my training classes a young woman asked me, “How can I control my telephone calls? I get so many calls every day that it’s very difficult to get my job done.” I asked her who was calling her and why, and learned that those calls were coming from co-workers throughout her company who needed her help to solve some software problems.
“I gather then that they are calling you when they should be calling someone else,” I said to her. “Oh, no,” she replied, “I’m supposed to help them; that’s my job. But I have lots of other things to do and with all the telephone interruptions, I have difficulty some days getting the other work done.” I simply said, “But those phone calls are your job, right? Then they are not interruptions, and you simply need to re-frame them—think of them differently. Those phone calls are job security!” She said to me later, “I know it must seem crazy to you, but I simply had never thought of it that way. It’s going to be so much easier now to deal with those telephone interruptions just remembering that it’s my job to answer the phone!”
Maybe you need to make a similar mental adjustment in your attitude toward some of the interruptions on your job. Often interruptions, as time consuming as they may be, are indeed part of our job descriptions.
Also, don’t forget about divine interruptions. I find that often when I’m interrupted by someone, while it may impact my plans for that day, it may also be an opportunity to touch someone’s life in an eternal way—an opportunity that is unique and if I miss it, I’ll never have another one just like it. So, look for those divine interruptions; be sensitive to them; ask God to help you see them when they’re coming. That way you will not feel as though you’ve been interrupted, but you’ll feel blessed!
Time Waster #2 – Paper Shuffling
Do you find that you shuffle and re-shuffle papers a lot? Sometimes I find myself just moving stacks of paper from one side of the desk to the other. Temporarily it makes me feel a little better to re-shuffle them, but what it actually does is waste a lot of time. Ever thought about how much time you waste just rearranging papers?
Is there some stack of papers on your desk right now that you’re afraid to go through because you don’t know what’s there and you’re afraid you might discover that you’ve let something important slip? A good motto to keep in mind is “Handle each piece of paper once.” Here are some ideas to help you practice that motto and handle each piece of paper once.
When you first get a piece of paper, make a decision about it and put it in the right place. Colored folders can be a big help. You could have a red folder for things that need to be read later. A yellow folder could be things that need an answer. Other colored folders could be used for different people you need to talk to, and that way you save up things to cover with them at one time.
Establish a filing system for all that information that comes your way which you think you may indeed need later and you just don’t want to throw it away. This will be helpful for you “pack-rat” types who have difficulty getting rid of anything. It may be that you’ll find that report of help at some later date, but it won’t be any help to you if you can’t find it when you need it! So, develop categories and make files for the various topics, which may be useful. That way you handle that paper just once, and you can find it if you ever need it.
This kind of system will help eliminate paper shuffling and help you group activities so that you gain efficiency in that way. When you’re trying to decide what to do with a piece of paper, here are five good alternatives: Toss it, or delegate it, or do it, or place it in a follow-up file or put it in a project file. That will help you eliminate that nasty time waster called paper shuffling.
Time Waster #3 – Meetings
It is my opinion that in most organizations fifty percent of meeting time is wasted, and that is one of the most costly ways we can just throw money right out of the window. If you have this problem where you work, I strongly recommend that you either suggest or institute (if you have the authority) guidelines for all meetings. Those guidelines should include:
- Every meeting must have a written agenda, distributed at least 24 hours prior to the meeting to enable attendees to come prepared. This agenda should set time limits for each part of the meeting, and a timekeeper will be in charge of letting each person know when they have five minutes remaining.
- Every meeting must have a start and stop time that is strictly adhered to. You start on time even if no one is there, and you don’t stop and recover the territory for those who come in late. And you stop on time even if all the agenda is not covered. This will start to cause people to show up on time.
- The person in charge of a meeting must keep it on track with the specified agenda and eliminate the “bunny trails” which often occur.
Another good idea is to have short meetings standing up rather than sitting down. And appoint a timekeeper or meeting facilitator for each meeting—someone who is responsible for informing people of their time parameters and keeping the discussion from veering off-track.
Think of the time wasted on food in many meetings. Nothing wrong with the coffee and doughnuts, but it needs to be understood that the meeting starts at the appointed time, and therefore you have to come early to get your coffee.
Some organizations have established penalties for people who are late to a meeting—like $.25 per minute. That money is collected and used for some group purpose later on. That might have a profound effect in getting people there on time.
If you spend a significant amount of time in meetings, it is undoubtedly one of your major time wasters. Get pro-active and see what you might be able to do to get those meetings under control.
These are three of our most common time wasters: Interruptions, paper shuffling and meetings.
Any way you look at it, our time is short and limited. None of us know how much time we have left, but we know it is finite. Even if we live to ripe old ages, our lives are flying by at such a rapid pace, and the hours and days tick off before we know what’s happened. I keep thinking that I don’t want to get to the end of my time—whenever that is—and look back with regret that I wasted time when I could have been doing something worthwhile.
I would encourage you to remember that you will give an account of how you’ve spent your time. Just think, if you had to give an account of how you spent your time this last week, would you find yourself apologizing for or explaining or excusing your waste of time? Do you even know where your time is going? You may be very busy but still not use your time well.