Time Killers - The Top Six

Time Management Guide Part 3

Till now, we have been harping about how valuable time is and how time lost is time lost forever and so on.

But now we come to a strange concept and that is ‘Time Killers’.

The very word sounds like sacrilege doesn’t it? How can one talk about killing such a valuable resource.

But that’s the way the story goes. There are a lot of time killers in this world and what you have to do is identify them and stay wary of them. Only then can you put your available time to the maximum possible use.

The time killers that I have listed below are more or less general. They are things that most of us encounter.

But apart from these, each one of us may have unique time killers that are particular to our style of living and way of work. Be smart and identify these killers.

When I talk about killers, do not get the impression of masked men lurking in shadows brandishing guns and knives. The killers that I am referring to are quite ordinary every day things that we see and use in our lives. Often however, we do not realize how much of our time they take away.

I suggest that along with the following six time killers that I have identified, you attempt to do the same with your day. Try to be conscious of what you are doing, and if need be note down the amount of time you spend doing things.

For example, time yourself on how long it takes between leaving home and reaching your desk at work, and see if you can somehow cut down on the time taken, perhaps by taking the subway.

Anyways, for now, let's take a look at the ones that I've listed.

Time Killers - The Top Six

1. Telephone calls

2. Chatter boxes

3. Traffic jams/Finding parking spaces

4. Meetings

5. Bad machinery/equipment

6. Long queues

The list could of course go on. But before we keep adding to the list, I would like to elaborate on certain of the items listed above.