Time Wasters & Barriers to Productivity

As a woman who has multiple roles and responsibilities, time is such a great asset. There is so much to do, too many people to take care of and so little time. Even though we all have 24hrs in a day, the way we use it is different. One of the best ways to optimize our time to be more productive is by eliminating time wasters, distractors, and barriers so we can achieve our goals.

 A famous quote says, “time is precious, waste it wisely.”

Here are some time wasters to eliminate, distractions and barriers to overcome which may be affecting your ability to realize your goals. Once you identify and tackle these, you can free up your time and be more focused to effectively and efficiently manage your time. For more resources on productivity, here’s “The Productivity Bundle” we recently created for ambitious working women and busy moms like us.

• Shiny Object Syndrome 

Have you experienced moments where you have different ideas with regards to different things and you have this intense need to hop from one thing to the other? 

Well, that is the shiny object syndrome. If you are one who is mostly multi-passionate, and a visionary you are prone to this distraction. This is a huge barrier to your productivity as it holds you back on staying focused on a task and seeing it through. 

If you are unaware of this kind of distraction, then I am here to let you know that it is very real and affects so many people. You should focus on one task at a time and form the habit of seeing it through to completion. When you have ideas that are totally unrelated to the goal you are working towards, write it down and work on that as soon as you are done with whatever you are working on now. Focus on tasks that are a higher priority, and that brings you closer to your goals.

• Mindless Activities on Social Media 

Social media can be entertaining and educational, but it can also be a great distractor. We hate to love social media, but we are stuck with it. When you mindlessly scroll through social media you tend to lose so much time that could’ve been used for other things. That is precious time that you can never get back. Social media is an entertaining distraction, don’t allow it to waste more time than it already has. 

• Comparing your Progress

Comparison is the thief of joy, time, and progress. When you compare yourself and your journey with others, you tend to lose sight of what really matters like your goals. When you lose sight of your goals you tend to also lose your why and purpose. Comparing yourself is destructive and it makes you think that you are making no progress. People give up too quickly because of comparison, don’t let that be you. Focus on your purpose, your goals, your plan, and your intentions for your life.

• Multitasking 

Doing more than one thing at once can seem like a fancy thing to do, but it can be a huge waste of your precious time. Multitasking leads to loss of focus and loss of time every time you try to refocus on a new task which is known as task switching. This is worse when it’s high-level tasks that need your attention. For instance, your attempt to multitask between reading and replying to your emails, scrolling through social media, attending meetings, and responding to texts will make you feel like you’re a rockstar getting so much done, but it’s just an illusion. Focusing and completing one task at a time will save you more time and improve the quality of your work.

• Poor Planning & Lack of Daily Preparation 

How you prepare for the next day has an impact on how you start and go through the day. There is a saying that goes, “when you fail to plan, you plan to fail”, and that’s true. When you poorly plan your day, you end up spending more time trying to decide what to do and you spend time doing busywork that is sometimes unrelated to what you are working towards. Poor planning of your day will only give you more room for you to waste, so since time is so precious and can never be gotten back, waste it wisely. 

• Analysis Paralysis & Overthinking

Speaking of planning, there is a thing called analysis paralysis when you overthink, overanalyze, and over-plan. You get stuck in the motion of researching, planning and can be indecisive that you end up wasting time in the planning phase and sometimes never really take any meaningful steps to execute.

Analysis paralysis cripples you into not taking action at all and fills you with dread. It overwhelms you and allows fear to build up. Then, despite feeling like you are working hard, there are no tangible results because you haven’t taken action yet, so you get frustrated at the lack of results. 

The remedy to this is to not overthink your plans, make informed but quick decisions and take an instant action to make progress. People who are considered perfectionists mostly experience this and I want you to know that this is a huge barrier to your progress and success.

• Lack of Motivation 

Motivation won’t find you all the time. It is a waste of time to wait for motivation to do anything. Yes, it can feel like a dread to do something that you don’t want to do, however, when you have your vision at heart and know WHY you are doing what you are doing you will still push through bad days. 

• Lack of Rest

Yes, you are wasting time when you are not properly resting. You need to rest to gain enough energy to focus, be creative and work towards your goals. Lack of rest can be a barrier towards a productive life because over the course of time your energy would be depleted which will render you incapable to diligently work which renders you ineffective and inefficient. Proper rest helps you access your full potential and perform at your best. 

• Bad Company

You are the sum of the people you spend time with. The people you hang out with may support your dreams or simply just not want to see you win and in that regard may discourage you from moving towards it. Also, there is a saying that “bad company corrupts good mind’ so if your cycle of friends are not working towards being their best and being productive, they will most likely be huge distractions. So limit your time with friends that can distract and derail your plans or change your circle of friends, join a mastermind to help you focus and challenge yourself if you really want to stay productive, it will help a lot. 

• Over Consumption of Information

This last bit is my favorite in the sense that because of the vast amount of information and the different digital media outlets out there, we have so many distractions and noise. You can get sucked into it and get stuck in the consumption phase, listening, learning, being informed, and feeling like you are being productive, but in reality, you are just consuming without ever taking action to implement a plan, apply the knowledge or create. 

Yes, overconsumption of information is a huge time waster and productivity barrier when you are not taking action on the information you just consumed.

I hope this post has highlighted some of the things you’re doing that are sucking time out of your day and preventing you from achieving the goals you desire. These 10 things are time wasters to eliminate and barriers to being productive that you must overcome. Remember, now that you have been informed, it’s time to apply this knowledge and take action. 

Make a list of bad habits, time-wasters, and barriers to productivity that you must eliminate, and create a simple plan you can start implementing today to make sure you follow through and make the changes you desire. 

For more tools and resources to help you better manage your time, energy, and your life, get The Productivity Bundle HERE which includes The Productivity Workbook & Success Tools, The Productivity Planner & Manifestation Journal Worksheets, plus The Productivity Guide & Resources. These are templates, tools, resources, systems, and strategies to elevate your productivity, help you achieve your goals easier, and improve your life right now. You have so much potential within you, don’t let distractions and time-wasters get in the way of you harnessing it and maximizing it.