Often during the working day there is a risk of falling into certain habits and situations that make the workday extends more than planned for not completing the planned tasks. Most of these “time traps” arise from everyday behaviors that They wear the concentration And they are stealing a few precious minutes that accumulate at the end of the day, affecting both productivity and personal well -being.
Understand what these practices are and how they influence Time management It is key to preventing the day from eligging unnecessarily and recovering control over working hours.
1. Informal conversations that continue
One of the most common reasons to stay until later at work are the improvised talks in the coffee machine that becomes long conversations. According to He counted to Fast Company Kiki Ramsey, CEO of POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY COACHING AND DIVERSITY INSTITUTE“Quick coffee conversations can easily become 30 -minute talks”
The expert explains that, to avoid This type of interruptionit is advisable to program these interactions as conscious breaks. That is, stay with that person with whom you want to comment on something to pause coffee or planned lunch. In this way, it is avoided that they interfere with the concentration and labor agenda. In this way, the social component between colleagues is maintained, which contributes to the good work environment, without interfering with their own productivity or that of the rest of the classmates.
2. Look at an email and finish watching kittens videos
Another frequent trap is in the pauses, initially short, which are transformed into long periods of distraction. In this sense, the Unlimited mobile use It is one of the main culprits of the loss of time during the working day.
Ramsey advises to establish a timer or an alarm To control these breaks and make sure they are brief. Apps are designed to catch your attention, so it is not strange to take the mobile to consult an email and spend an hour watching videos of kittens. Maintaining control over these moments is essential not to fall into the voluntary overextension of working hours.
3. Attend personal issues during working hours
Telework has blurred Classic scheduleswhich can make personal issues attend during the working day. This includes calls, efforts or any other procedure that diverts work attention.
Although it seems harmless, Ramsey points out that this type of distractions affects the concentration and extends the day more than necessary. “Although the boundaries between the labor and the personal have blurred, the calls or personalrs can reduce concentration and productivity,” said the expert.
The recommendation in these cases is to reserve specific blocks on the weekly agenda to address these issues, or attend them before or after the working day. This will help maintain the concentration and quality of work, preventing personal interruptions from ending up making it come out later.
4. The importance of saying “no”
Accepting tasks or responsibilities can alter your own priorities and extend the work schedule. Ramsey advises reject with kindness those tasks that do not correspond to the assigned responsibilities, and redirect them to the right person. If that is not possible, include that task in the day planning Next to avoid interfering with your goals.
The lack of capacity to put clear limits generates an overload that causes more time to cover everything. This ability to say “no” is one of the greatest Learning Millionaires like Elon Musk or Warren Buffet.
This Difficulty saying “no” It is an important cause of the unplanned extension of the work day, since it forces to add extra activities to the routine without having planned time for them, which lengthens the day without providing real value to your own work.
5. Unnecessary micrognition
A factor that consumes a lot of time is excessive surveillance or micrognition of what your classmates do. “Supervising too much the tasks of others is a loss of time and generates unnecessary stress, both for you and for them,” says Ramsey.
Instead, try to trust the processes, it offers support for colleagues with less experience only when necessary. Focusing attention on your own tasks improves general efficiency and prevents the extension of the schedule. In addition, this type of management not only delays the progress of your tasks, but can double the workload and create an atmosphere of distrust which makes more hours be invested than necessary.
Strategies to avoid these traps and recover your time
To avoid falling into these “time traps”, the productivity expert recommends planning in advance the Tasks of the week. At least the most important. “Take time on Sunday to plan your week. It doesn’t have to be sophisticated. It can simply be a rapid review of your prioritiesprojects and objectives for the week. Thus, when I arrive on Monday, you will be ready to start, instead of spending part on Monday morning thinking about what to do first, “says Ramsey.
This technique opens a way for better time management, as it allows you to address the tasks in an orderly manner and avoid distractions caused by improvisation, stress or ultimate urgency. The urgent and the important thing do not always go hand in hand, but the first tends to eclipse the second hindering the progress of weekly objectives.
Joe Galvin, research director of Vistagean advisory consultancy for managers ensures that Align circadian cycles With the tasks that require greater concentration it is also a way of accelerating the execution of tasks. “Some employees are more alert in the early morning, while others reflect better in the afternoon,” Galvin explains.
The ideal is to reserve the complex and strategic tasks for these energy peaks, and leave for other moments the small personal efforts or those tasks that require less concentration.
Identify when you are more concentrated or at what time of the day You are more prone to procrastineit also contributes to being more efficient when addressing daily tasks and finishing them in the assigned time.
Image | Unspash (Akram Huseyn, Jakub żerdzicki)
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