Sensible Organizing Solutions

Are Their Bandits in Your Office?

In any work or home office, there are many culprits lying in wait to steal from you. Many of us fall victim to them everyday.

These bad boys are everywhere and it bodes well for you to take heed. They’re called … Time Bandits!

Time Bandits come in many disguises. Here’s what they can look like:
People– that’s right, your very own co-workers, boss, spouse, children or friend — just stopping by to ask you a ‘Quick Question’ …

Email– sure, checking email all day long may give you a sense of stimulation or importance, but at what cost?

Phone– this tool is there for your convenience. So why are you constantly dropping what YOU are doing whenever IT rings?

Procrastination– it’s been referred to as ‘the ultimate thief of time.’ We all do it, to what degree do YOU do it?

Hmmmmm, on the surface, these all look so innocent don’t they? So you checked your email twice in the past 10 minutes. What’s the big deal? The big deal is that these innocent little thieves rob you of huge treasures of time.

Did you know most people experience about 50 interruptions in a typical day? Add another 50 or so to that if you have children!

And what exactly do these interruptions cost you?  Experts agree that one interruption results in about  5 – 15 minutes of downtime.

Let’s see now … 50 interruptions x even a measly little 5 minutes = about 4 hours. Yikes! That means 4 hours of your day is lost to unplanned interruptions!

Okay, I know. Some interruptions are important, but how much time is lost to UNimportant interruptions? You can count on about half of that time. We lose about 2 hours a day to unimportant things … time that can never to be recovered … ever again.

So, what can you do to stop these nasty thieves from stealing your valuable time?

Work uninterrupted as much as possible. This means change the way you allow these Time Bandits into your day. Follow some self defense tips…

• If someone interrupts you, simply ask them if it can wait until you are done working on your task.
• Unless your job is to only answer email – stop checking it constantly. Schedule specific times throughout the day for email and limit the chunks of time you spend on it.
• Let voice mail pick up your calls so you can get priority work done. Then, take a scheduled break to return all of your calls at the same time.
• Quit putting things off. If it’s important for you to complete it –  do it!  Break large projects down into small and manageable pieces so you can pick off small parts and get them done, one bit at a time. Often, focusing on the dread of doing something takes up more time and energy than actually doing it.

With a bit of practice you can soon take control of your day rather than falling victim to Time Bandits.

And if these crooks still overpower you, call the Clutter Police…Yours Truly!                                                                                              

Jana Hartwell, CPO
Sensible Organizing Solutions