Six reasons people waste time at work

Are there people on your job who just seem to be so busy all the time, but still get nothing done? Why is that? Let’s look at a few reasons why some colleagues become professional time wasters.

Unclear priorities and job responsibilities

Even though they were hired, some people are still not clear what they are supposed to do, and in what order. Therefore, they use precious time spinning their wheels, doing tasks that are often not the most effective use of their time.{{more}} Even when they are aware of their job responsibilities, ensuring that the important tasks get done first can prove to be another challenge.

Failure to delegate

Everyone wants to look good. Employers are expecting workers to do more with less and jobs are often on the line. With that in mind, some employees may feel pressured to try and do more than they are physically able to do, instead of delegating the task and getting to the finished product more quickly and accurately.

Distractions

The Internet, email, colleagues stopping by your work station and personal phone calls can derail even the best planned day. As an employee, you have to develop the discipline to minimize those distractions so you are able to get to the important tasks that need to get done.

Disorganization

If you sometimes spend more than one minute looking for documents, you are disorganized. Too much time is often spent hunting down information that should be available at your fingertips, yet you may not want to admit that you have lost control of the piles of paper on your desk.

Lack of follow-up

One extra step can be all that is needed sometimes to prevent utter frustration. Making sure a task is done and reported to the right people can eliminate the guessing game and panic that can ensue when people don’t know the status of a project that was supposed to be taken care of.

Ineffective tools

For work to get done, you have to be equipped. Nothing is more frustrating than to be asked to get a job done with the wrong equipment. Make sure that you have exactly what you need to perform at a high level of excellence and speak up if you don’t. Simple adjustments are all that are needed sometimes. 

Karen Hinds is “The Workplace Success Expert.” For a FREE SPECIAL REPORT on Avoiding Career Killers in the Workplace, send an email to info@workplacesuccess.com

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