Time Vampires - How to Recognize and Avoid Them

Time Vampires

Are just exactly what they sound like... things that will suck the life out of your time management plan. They can, and will, sneak up on you if you're not paying attention.

In this article I'm going to teach you about time vampires... specifically how to recognize and avoid them.

Television

I am not a TV watcher, I never have been but I do have a TV in my kitchen, and I'll turn it on while I'm cooking. I personally usually turn it on the Weather channel but more and more here recently I let my daughter turn it on NCIS. This was not a good thing because I kind of got used to watching TV... okay I got addicted... but only to this one show.

So, while I was cooking I would turn on the TV and start watching this show. The time vampire part comes in because even if it only took me 40 minutes to cook, of course, I had to watch the rest of the 20 minutes and if it was a two-parter... which it always seemed to be when I was watching... then I was really sucked in.

Now that's not always bad but, for the most part, I really don't have time to watch two hours of TV. So I have to be real careful and if I really don't have time to watch I just won't turn that show on.

After all, it's pretty easy to walk away from the Weather Channel if needed.

Email

Another time vampire, for I think most of us, is email. It's become such a problem in my own life that I spent a large portion of the day yesterday unsubscribing to a lot of people. These were people who I had subscribed to for a reason.

The problem was that my life got more and more focused. I realized I just didn't have the time to open these 10 emails each day. Even if I spent only five minutes on each one that would add up to almost an hour a day that I could spend with my daughter or on a hobby. I knew this so I just didn't open them. Unfortunately, that caused a clog in my email and once every 2 or 3 months I'd have to go through and erase them all.

I've recently gotten serious about singing and I'd rather spend that 50 minutes a day singing instead of going through emails.

That's really the crux of it is to think about whether you want to spend time on this time vampire or spend it on something else because you only have so much time and once it's gone... it's gone.

Indecision

One last time vampire I want to talk about and that's indecision. It can sometimes be paralyzing in that you don't know what to do next. You have three things you need to do and you just can't decide which to do so you take off and do something else.

Avoid These Time Vampires

By conscious effort. Give each of these time vampires the proverbial stake-in-the-heart. That's the only thing that will work.

Don't turn on the TV.

Only sign into your email account once or twice per day and then do so with a time limit.

Have a to do list (that may or may not include time for watching TV and checking email).

Are you ready to begin managing your time better? Download my free ebook about Time Management for some wonderful ideas.

Strategies to Avoid Wasting Time - The Benefits of Multitasking

In Today's World

It seems that more and more we run around just trying to catch our breath. Life just sometimes seems way too packed for comfort. There is a better way to live but it takes some thinking.

In this article I'm going to give you some strategies to avoid wasting time by utilizing the benefits of multitasking.

I Learned a Long Time Ago

That multitasking is best done by pairing tasks that need my attention with tasks that don't. One of the best instances I can think of is doing laundry while cooking because cooking requires my focus and attention (unless I really want burned food) and laundry doesn't require any more attention than just hearing the alarms and then going out and switching it or laying it out until I can fold it later.

There Are Only Two Pretty Simple Parts to This Strategy:

First, think about your high focus tasks of the day and then your lower focus tasks of the day.

Second, see which of these you can pair.

If You Can Master Those Two Steps

Then you can really reap the benefits of multitasking which include:

· More time for your family and friends-Who doesn't want more time for those we love. The relationship with our spouse needs to be cultivated no matter what's going on...and sometimes especially because of what's going on. And don't forget the extra time you'd have with kids who will be gone way too soon.

· More time for hobbies-It's important to keep growing mentally and hobbies are one of the ways we continue growing. And they're great at reducing stress too. Hobbies are especially welcomed for we women who are conditioned to come home from working 8 hours and start cooking, after that the kids need help with homework, then it's time to oversee bathing then it's bedtime for them, and then it's housework for us. Hobbies are things we do for ourselves even if they do ultimately benefit the family.

· Less stress-Multitasking, when done right, automatically reduces stress by allowing you to get more done in less time. Beware! Done wrong, however, and it can add to your stress level.

· Getting more done-It's really rewarding to get more things done during the day and not wonder where your time went and how you didn't accomplish this or that.

Setting a good example for your kids-We all want to set a good example for our kids. They are, after all, a reflection of us and our values. Whether they consider you Super Mom or Stupid Mom you impact them. If you give them an early exposure to multitasking then they'll have a head start on being a time conscious adult.

Are you ready to begin managing your time better? Download my free ebook about Time Management for some wonderful ideas.