Time wasters are everywhere in the office environment. Even if you are the boss, a high-achieving woman, you have likely found yourself engaged in a bad habit or two occasionally. We’re only human, after all. The moment we have something to do, we get distracted by 101 more important activities. And, don’t let us have a job we’re unsure of how to proceed with or don’t enjoy completing. Never has wasting time looked more appealing.

These distractions, especially in the office can be problematic for obvious reasons. There are only so many hours in the working day, and if you and your staff are engaged in time wasters, your production is sure to suffer. That’s why we’re going to look at some leading culprits responsible for wasted office time and provide tips on how you can reclaim those lost hours.

Coffee-based procrastination

Nothing beats having a cup of coffee delivered to your desk by a friendly co-worker. Well, nothing apart from heading outdoors to grab your own and a breath of fresh air, when the stress of work is getting to you. These “short” breaks can be as long as a half an hour, during which time, work is not getting done. It would be quite extreme to ban coffee breaks altogether, nevermind the hit employee morale would take if you did. However, it might be worth putting some restrictions in place, i.e., one in the morning, one in the afternoon, each for no longer than 10-minutes. From a health & wellness standpoint, share with employees while they may want to voluntarily limit the number of hot drinks in a day that they consume. Coffee-based procrastination undoubtedly impacts time management, which in turn affects one’s productivity. By the way, let’s not forget beauty, bathroom and cigarette breaks, all high on the list of time wasters, but we’ll save that for another post.

Tech breakdowns

How often do we waste valuable hours because of tech breakdowns? When it happens, you may have no choice but to call outside companies and be held hostage to their repair schedule. Knowing that system outages and breakdowns cost time and money, being a proactive business owner would be wise. Consider employing the services of a company like eSudo Technologies, and have them on speed dial. IT management companies like these offer 24/7 support in case of emergencies. What’s more, they can put systems in place which minimize future breakdowns.

Web browsing

Speaking of tech, web browsing is also a leading time waster. Who can resist signing onto their social media accounts when the inspiration well runs dry? But, we all know that, once you start scrolling, it’s easy to waste insane amounts of time. The good news is, you can put an end to web-based time wasters by placing blocks on popular websites. It may seem cruel, but it’s a kindness in the long-run – to your staff’s productivity specifically. Why lead employees to temptation? Take away the possibility, and see what a difference it makes, especially on your business’ bottom line.

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