How To Keep Other People From Wasting Your Valuable Time

By Author: Brent Riggs
Total Articles: 22
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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.

If they are wasting time, how can they claim they are busy? Because they ARE busy, but they are busy doing things that are not important or busy doing things others impose on them.

People who are serious about really having a successful life of personal and financial freedom have a low tolerance for foolishly wasted time, and an even lower tolerance for other people trying to waste their time.

You know... There is Suzy Social who wants to stop by and chit chat several times a day and Peter Planner who wants to schedule another meeting. Simon Cellphone thinks you are obligated to pick up his call each and every time he blesses you with a ring. Then there's Vinny Vendor who needs to go over every detail of every order because he really just wants as much face time with you as possible. Then, of course, there's Kelly Client who ...
... demands you be accessible every moment of every day, lest she take her business elsewhere.

The people in your life who drain you of your time and energy have many weapons with which to "attack": cell phones, email, memos, visits, gossip, etc. Are there any sure-fire tricks to do away with these people's wasting of your time and productivity? Actually, not really. You just need to learn to put up your guard and draw firm boundaries.

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.

Here's a suggestion on how to deal with people. Practice a "three strikes" policy. This can be used successfully with vendors, employees, and even clients, when appropriate. Give them three chances to learn that they cannot expect to have instantaneous, unscheduled access to you at all times. If a person wants to talk, tell them that you are working hard to finish up a project and then ask if there is anything you could help them with. If a client phones you to nit-pick over something for the third time, politely assure them that you are in the midst of taking care of it and there is no need to call again.

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 don't take care of it the way we should. We guard our money carefully, and it can be replaced, but we fail to guard our time in the same way. Don't forget� lost time is gone forever.