Five Time Wasters You May Be Guilty Of

While some thrive when they work at home, others who aren't self-starters see this as a disadvantage.  This latter group most likely hung out at the water cooler or spent more time planning office parties instead of doing their fair share. For this group, time stands still but those who mismanage their time are usually the first to get laid off...even when they have some seniority.

People who struggle with remote work or online classes may have good intentions but lack a realistic plan of execution.  Unless you're on meds, no one has to live this way.  Managing time is not a miracle cure when you're realistic about your priorities.  Make those minutes count for something~

Just think about work, for instance.  If you're five minutes late every day for 20 days, you've lost an hour.  While you may stay a little longer or cut your breaks short, sometimes this isn't enough.  When you freelance or work remotely, time goes a long way.

1. You watch too much TV.  This also applies could be cat videos, gossip blogs, and even commercials.  And watching reruns outside of a designated binge period is just sad.  Yes, you can and should unwind but if you find that you're running out of steam after four consecutive hours, it may be time to retire the couch potato mode.

2. You get caught up in emails/social media.  You start off with good intentions but then something goes south and the 15 minutes you set aside for a "break" has morphed into four (or more) hours.  And this is so easy to do when there are no deadlines but even where you're searching for opportunities, being one minute late can kill the deal.



3. You don't have a plan of action.  Sometimes, we become so used to having others tell us what to do, it's near impossible to imagine acting independently outside of our job.  If you design websites, why not use slow periods to promote your work on social media?  Writers can create mockups of marketing materials that entice current or future clients.  While there's nothing wrong with leaving a small cushion, please understand that everything is in YOUR control.  Take advantage!

4. You're looking for trouble...online.  Sometimes it can be refreshing to get a bad business review or complaint off of our chest.  But we know it doesn't always end there.  Some operators want to discuss directly or commenters with opposing views that can be rather aggressive.  In these times when there's so much uncertainty in the world, getting heated is common.  For future reference,  it's best to note all details contained in a consumer review with a promise to follow up the next day.

5. You keep looking at the same job search sites...over and over.  I've bought monthly and yearly subscriptions to paid job search sites and for me, it was a waste of money.  The only difference was that they had a contact name but the leads were pretty much the same.  Not to say all are like this but here are some job leads not commonly seen and some don't require that you pay to search...or get hired.

Comments