How To Stop Wasting Time And Be More Productive
You make a to-do list and know what needs to be done but then you pick up your phone and scroll on social media for hours. Despite the best intentions, you end up wasting time on your phone, doing meaningless tasks, watching TV, and so on. Result? The day quickly flies by and you got nothing done! So, how do you stop wasting time when you need to get things done? It’s not as easy as just stopping – or you would have done that already… 😉
It’s a bit of a brain game! Keep reading to discover 9 tips to help you stop wasting time during the day.
How to Know When It’s Time to STOP Wasting Time
For the most part, it’s probably pretty obvious when you are wasting your time.
You may notice it at the moment when you’re aimlessly scrolling on social media, or later on when you realize nothing was checked off your to-do list.
You may notice the guilty feeling you get when you know you aren’t being productive…
Or, it may even be other people pointing it out to you (like your boss or family members).
While many times it’s clear you are wasting time doing other things instead of your to-do’s, other times it’s not as obvious.
Here are some signs you are wasting time:
- Trying to make everything perfect
- Overthinking
- Multitasking
- Often complaining about things
- Doing non-important tasks
- Creating busy work for yourself
- Doing easy tasks for a long time (like folding the laundry for 2 hours vs 20 minutes)
- You get easily distracted
- You make a lot of excuses
If you find yourself doing any of the above, ask yourself what purpose that behavior is serving.
Is it getting you a positive outcome? Do you do it for a specific reason? Is there something you are avoiding?
Step one to solving any problem is always admitting you have a problem, to begin with!
How to Stop Wasting Time in 9 Steps
I think we should preface this by saying: “Not all time wasted is a bad thing”!
If you are relaxing on the couch on a sunny Sunday reading a book, that is not a bad thing. Everyone is allowed downtime. Self-care is important!
Wasting time becomes a problem when you are struggling to get your tasks done. When you start missing due dates and appointments, showing up late to things, or just not doing anything.
That is when you need to take a hard look in the mirror and decide how you will change your life.
So, if you are struggling to put your phone down or stop watching TV, these tips are for you! It’s time to get your time back so you can actually get things done.
Read: “7 Best Time Management Tips to Get It All Done!”
The 5-Second Rule
I’ve seen a couple of different variations of this but my favorite one is The 5 Second Rule from Mel Robbins.
The premise is that whenever you have a task that is unpleasant or just something you don’t really want to do, you should start it within 5 seconds of thinking about it.
Start before you have too much time to back out or make excuses.
The hardest part is starting so taking action quickly helps you skip the overthinking and procrastination stages.
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Time Blocking
Time blocking is my absolute favorite way to stop wasting time. I feel so productive when I time-block my day!
You just need to break your day into time slots (9 am – 10 am, 10 am – 12 pm). From there you input tasks into the time slots (9 am – 10 am: workout, 10 am – 12 pm: deep clean the house).
I always start with making a to-do list and then I pick a few items from the list to input into my time slots!
Create a Daily Schedule
Having a daily schedule that is somewhat consistent really helps you stay on track. It’s harder to waste time when you know you follow a similar routine daily.
Figure out the times when you tend to waste time the most and create a routine. Follow that routine daily.
That might look like scheduling self-care time every day at 7 pm instead of sitting on your phone. That way you know each day you will get relaxation time doing something other than aimlessly scrolling.
Done Is Better Than Perfect
Perfectionism is the bane of productivity!
You might think you are using your time wisely when you are working on a project. However, you need to ask yourself what the purpose is when you find yourself spending too much time on something. Does the title of your next blog post really need to be rewritten 10 times? Or are you just trying to be perfect?
Done is pretty much always better than perfect. You are wasting time by trying to make something perfect because perfect simply doesn’t exist.
Use a Tracker
If you find yourself wasting a lot of time during the day when you want to be getting things done you should use a tracker.
Tracking habits or even daily tasks can be super helpful because it shows you what you are doing (or not doing).
Create a tracker for daily habits and tasks so you can tick the boxes. Ticking the box will give you a little dopamine hit which will help you stay on track in the future.
Read: “How to Form Healthy Habits You Can *Actually* Stick To”
Create Micro Goals
Sometimes you waste time because you don’t have a purpose. When there is nothing to work on you don’t have a ton of motivation!
Create small little micro goals that you can work on.
That way when you have some extra time you also have purpose.
It also just feels really good to achieve something (even if it’s small) – which will help you keep showing up for yourself.
The more goals you achieve the more momentum you will gain and that helps you stop wasting time!
Have Screen Time Limits
Social media and our phones are addictive! There’s been tons of studies on this. Yet, we all still spend way too much time on our phones. Why? Because we are addicted!
Use the screen time limits on your phone.
If you struggle to put the phone down on your own accord then use the timers. When you have used up all your time you will need to find something else to do!
Put Things in Less Desirable Places
Your environment plays a big part in your actions! Humans love comfort and for things to be easy and accessible. Sometimes this is also our demise!
If you need to get homework done and you choose to sit in your bedroom (which is super cozy and has the TV right there) and you find yourself watching your favorite show instead of studying, then you need an environmental change!
Move the TV out of your workspaces.
Keep your phone in a room where you never hang out when you get home.
Keep your computer plugged into the wall in the family area so you are less inclined to play games.
It may seem drastic but by making your time wasters less desirable due to the location they are in, it will be easier to not do them.
Reward Yourself
Everyone loves a reward.
Whether that’s a sweet treat, a new outfit, or a weekend getaway, rewarding yourself for hard work is important.
Rewards help you keep going and with enough incentive, you won’t want to waste as much time on tasks that don’t matter.
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Final Thoughts on How to Stop Wasting Time
It’s so easy to waste time on your phone, watching TV, playing video games, or even reading books! I love to spend time on the couch reading a good book but, sometimes, other things need to get done.
Read: “The 5 Self-Help Books That Will Completely Change Your Life”
Understanding that you are wasting time is so important. If you find yourself saying, “There just isn’t enough time in the day”, you should look at where the time is really going.
Wasting time doesn’t need to look like watching TV – it also looks like perfectionism, complaining, doing meaningless tasks, and so on.
However, you can stop wasting time by using the above tips and tricks.
Some time wasters are addictive (like phones), but it’s still possible to stay on track and get things done!
Q: “Do you find yourself wasting time? What tips are most useful for you?” – Let me know in a comment! 🙂
Meet the Author: Deanna
Deanna is a personal growth blogger and freelance writer. She created Life By Deanna to inspire other women to focus on growth, create lives they love, and dream BIG! When she isn’t writing she is likely reading a fantasy novel, cuddling her cat, or eating a warm bowl of mac and cheese. Check out her blog for more posts on personal growth, wellness, and lifestyle.
Great post ! Sometimes we see the big picture and feel overwhelmed. Doing baby steps really helps !
Yesss, that’s it! 🙂
Such a super helpful post! My favorite part is when you mentioned that perfectionism can be a time waster! I like my tasks to be done to perfection! When they’re not I stress over them! Perfectionism was actually online of my problems in school. I would stress over whether or not I completed an assignment perfectly and that make me take longer with them. I already take long with my assignments because I’m a person with a disability, but perfectionism just makes me take even longer. I’m actually in therapy for mental illness and one of the things I needed to learn was that no one is perfect. Thankyou for this post! I enjoyed reading it!
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m happy that you enjoyed reading the article. Your takeaway, “No one is perfect”, is so true! I believe that doing your best is enough and, unfortunately, we’re too often our worst critics…
Fantastic post. Great reminder to break things down into manageable pieces. And perfectionism, you’re so right, it hinders success and growth.
Yess, breaking it down into baby-steps is key to accomplishing anything 🙂
I procrastinated yesterday because I was super tired. Today I had to do other stuff because I needed to figure out what is cuasing my interview software to go down.
Whenever we’re tired it’s much easier to procrastinate…But don’t beat yourself up for this! Take the time you need to rest and recharge, and then get back on track 🙂