Common Time Wasters

 

Time is money! You’ve heard it before; it’s a cliché; you don’t really pay much attention. But in actuality, time is more precious than money, because once you spend it, you can never replace it.

 

We all have exactly the same amount of time to work with each day: 24 hour days-no more, no less. And God will hold us accountable for our use of time. Paul wrote the Ephesians to "be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:15-16). 

 

Do you have any idea of where your time goes, or of the little things you do that waste time? Well, 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.

 

One of our most common time wasters is 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, he or she wouldn’t have to ask you so many questions. Maybe if some information were available in a written format, she 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 them. When you look up and give people eye contact as they walk by your desk or office, you invite them to interrupt you. So find ways to nicely avoid eye contact.