Time Killers - How To Handle Them

Time Management Guide Part 4

Time Killers - How To Handle 1 to 3

1. Telephone Calls

The funny thing about telephone calls is that these instruments are indeed great time savers. In fact the amount of time that people get to save thanks to telephones is stupendous. The problem arises when telephones are not used properly.

Most people do not understand and even if they do they forget that telephones are not to be used for lengthy conversations.

For one thing, another person may be trying to reach you and there is nothing as exasperating as trying to reach a person over the telephone and being confronted with a busy tone.

So the first thing about a telephone conversation is that it should be brief.

Then again, many people do not know how to use a telephone properly. Instead of immediately identifying themselves and asking directly for the person they want, some people go on playing a lot of “who is speaking” games once they make a call or answer the telephone.

Now coming to mobile phones there is a lot to be said and done. What should be done is turn off your cell phone when you are having a conversation or a discussion with more than one person.

As soon as you get a call, you may ask the people you were talking to, to excuse you. Too many however leave other persons waiting while they chuckle and giggle over the phone.

Often we tend to give more importance to the caller than to the person we were having the discussion with.

Again the same rule applies here. Be brief. A mobile phone is to be used to get an important message across to a person who you were not able to reach on the land line.

2. Chatter Boxes

The next point is about those chatter boxes. Haven’t we all met them? They simply love the sound of their own voices and once they open their mouths, there is no stopping them.

They are the very embodiment of the term "Time Killer". They waste not only your time but their time as well.

If you don't feel easy avoiding them or diverting their calls make it plain you have an appointment or other pressing activity and say up front, "Sorry, I am in a real rush today, I've only got two minutes." Then enforce it!

3. Traffic Jams/Finding Parking Places

Traffic jams and finding parking spaces. Any one who has lived in the city for at least a day will know what I am talking about. There is no getting past a traffic jam at the rush hour.

Will someone tell me why it's called the rush hour when that is the time when the traffic is the slowest?

The only thing you can do is anticipate the traffic jam and leave your home a half hour or one hour early. But that does not really keep the time killer at bay. It just helps you to avoid being late.

In this respect you have two options.

Either you could find something constructive to do while you wait for the traffic to move along or the traffic light to change or take the subway and walk the rest of the way.

You can get along a lot faster on your feet and it is a lot better for your health as well. By doing so, you can also get rid of the headache of finding a parking space.