Beware The Time Wasters

Are you making the most of your time on any given day? It is more important now than ever before to be productive in everything you do. Many people have been downsized from their companies and are wondering what to do next. Others are starting small businesses and not sure what to do first.

People spend time in front of their computer thinking they are being productive while reading email, managing their online social networks, taking care of their finances, or chatting with friends. Although some of this time can be considered productive time, it may not be the best use of their time. I searched the web for time wasters and actually found pages of websites dedicated to how you can waste even more time. As if we don't already have enough time-wasters already in place.

Here are three common time-wasters:

1. Attending networking events that produce no real leads. There is nothing wrong with socializing when the opportunity arises, but don't fool yourself into thinking that just because you are attending a networking function that you are being productive and moving your business forward. Consider the time it takes to drive to and from the event and the time spent at the event. You may be consuming several hours. I am a firm believer in building relationships and developing the know, like, trust factor, but you can reach a point of diminishing returns after a few months of participation in these networking events with no results.

2. Spending too much time with online social networks and other technology. This is another area where people mistakenly think they are being productive. This is a very important strategy for your business, but should you really be doing it during the day or spending late hours at night working on them?

3. Having coffee or lunch with "potential" clients. Set a time limit for yourself for every meeting. Try to make appointments during your downtime -- early morning, lunch, or late evening. Make sure you have a purpose or goal for the meeting. Learn to "qualify" people quickly so you know if you want to pursue this business relationship.

Are you doing things during the day that you could do later in the evening? Would your daytime hours be better spent making sales calls or attending productive networking events or spending time with qualified prospects?

So, what is the solution? How can you avoid wasting your valuable time?

Here are three tips to help you make better use of your time:

1. Use time blocking to get everything done. This is simply blocking out a specific amount of time to work on a task. For example - spend 1 hour at a networking event, 3 hours on sales calls, 30 minutes following up with prospects and clients.

2. Keep track of your time for one week. Write down every hour of the day and everything you do in your business that day. At the end of the week, review what you have written and look for ways to rearrange your schedule and to be more productive.

3. Every day ask yourself this question - Is what I am doing today moving me closer to my ultimate goal and generating revenue for my business? This one question can make a huge difference in your business and in your life.

Time really is money. You must learn to differentiate between tasks that are making you money and tasks that are not making you money. Make sure you are investing your time in the appropriate strategies and tasks that will help you reach your personal and business goals. Find the time-wasters and get rid of them. Evaluate every day to see what you can do better. In a nutshell, just be more aware of how you are spending your time.

Let me know what you consider to be your biggest time-waster.