How To Keep Other People From Wasting YOUR Valuable Time

Waste Yours, Waste Mine People waste time. They will waste all of yours too, if you let them. It's amazing how much time is wasted on trivial, unimportant, and utterly useless activity. Then we see those same people scurrying about complaining about how overloaded and busy they are.

How can these people who are wasting time rightly claim that they are busy? It's because they ARE busy, just not busy doing the important things. They get caught up in activities that are unimportant or activities imposed on them by others.

A person who is serious about leading a successful personal life would have a low tolerance for things that cause him to waste his time foolishly. He would have an even lower tolerance for others who waste his time and theirs.

We all know some of these kinds of people. There is Suzy Social who drops by to chat numerous times a day. Or, you might know a Peter Planner who seems to live to schedule another meeting. Simon Cellfone thinks that you are obligated to answer each and every time that he calls your number. Then, there is Vinny Vendor who has to review his order one more time because he wants as much face time as he can get. Last, but not least, there is Kelly Client, who demands access to you at every moment of the day, or else!

These parasites of time have many weapons in their arsenal: email, cell phones, landlines, memos, gossip and face time. Are there any magic answers, secrets or sure-fire tricks to end the needless sucking away of your productivity and time? No, not really. You just have to put up your guard, draw boundaries, and be firm.

Here are some specific, yet easy, suggestions. Have scheduled times, maybe once or twice a day, to check your email. Turn off the ringer on your phone if you are beginning a highly productive work session. It's okay to leave it off when you're off work too. Don't be a slave to the phone. You don't have to answer it just because it rings. Realize that people will take as much time from you as you give them. They will interrupt as often as you let them. Their supposed urgent moment can dictate your response, if you let it.

With people, practice a "three strikes" rule. Whether employee, vendor or when appropriate, client, give them three chances to learn not to expect to be able to waste your time without response. If someone wants to chit-chat, tell them you are really working hard to complete a task and is there anything you can help them with. If a client calls AGAIN to nit-pick over the same details for the third time, assure him that you are taking care of it, and there is no need to keep asking.

Basically, figure out an appropriate way to convey the message, "I don't waste time, and I won't allow you to waste it for me". You don't have to be ugly, but by the third "talk" with any one person, you should be nothing short of very direct about your expectations. If that doesn't do the trick, then simply put an end to their opportunity to interrupt you needlessly.

Time is a precious commodity, yet, we often let others steal it from us. Don't forget that stolen time is gone forever.

About the Author

G. Brent Riggs, author of "Life Without Debt", "Serious Faith" and "Desperation Station" has over 20 years experience as an business owner, teacher, personal growth coach and mentor. You can contact him from his main website: http://www.gbrentriggs.com

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