They’re on the loose. Almost everyone (if not everyone) is guilty of giving in or becoming victim to these time thieves one way or another. In fact, most of these time robbers have become normal parts of people’s daily lives.

TV and Radio

Who can resist watching their favorite shows on TV? If you really want to save time, turn off the boob tube. I know it’s extremely difficult to control the urge; but if you start watching TV, you’ll get hooked. What was originally a decision to watch a one-hour show could turn into a 4-hour addiction. Be strict in limiting your watching time. Better yet, don’t watch at all!

The same thing applies to the radio. If you’re going to listen at all, choose classical music. It stimulates the brain and is a more productive use of your time.

Phone

The phone can actually be a time-saver if you know how to use it properly. Instead of emailing someone, engaging in a phone call can allow you to get the answers right away. “Saying it” is definitely faster than “writing it.”  Of course, there are exceptions when email or other methods are better, like when a detailed list is needed.

You can prevent phone calls from stealing your time by telling the caller nicely that you have some urgent matters to attend to, and that you will try to call back soon.

Do you know another reason why telephones waste a lot of your time? They require the use of your hand, which makes it difficult to do other tasks when you are talking. Invest in a headset if you can. It will free up both of your hands so you can do other things while you are chatting away.

Waiting in Line

Nothing could test your patience more than waiting for your turn in long queues. As much as possible, avoid going to crowded places. If you cannot avoid this, pick a schedule where you least expect many people to show up. For example, buy your groceries on weekdays. Don’t shop during weekends and paydays. If you can afford the higher price tags of items that can be bought through the phone, internet, or third-party services, then go ahead and buy them. If you treat time as gold, then the extra time you’ll be saving as a result of this act is worth much more than the extra money you’ll be spending. In case you really have no choice but to wait in line, then don’t waste your time complaining. Do something productive like reading a book, listening to educational tapes, or writing your future plans on your little notebook.

Traffic Terror

This is another hair-pulling moment, especially when you’re running late for an important appointment. Avoid the rush hour by all means. Anticipate when a traffic jam is usually occurring during the day so you can adjust your commuting time. If your destination is not too far away, a walking session might be a great idea to evade traffic, save on gas or money, and attain a healthy lifestyle.

Too Much

Life is becoming more and more complex everyday. We are presented with a variety of choices on a particular product to be bought. We are being inundated with tons of paperwork. We have too many tasks to do in a day.

To solve this dilemma, try to make everything in life as simple as possible.

Don’t present too many choices. People will be confused if you sell them products with too many combinations, varieties, or options. Lots of time will be consumed in deciding which one is really the best.

Try to minimize the quantity of papers you have to keep. If you can afford programming or e-commerce solutions that minimize the use of papers, then it is a rational decision to acquire them.

Pause a while every time you are going to do an activity. Always ask yourself, "What can I do along with this task to save more time in the future?” For instance, you are going to buy a birthday card for your friend. By asking the question, you might come up with the decision to buy more birthday cards instead of just one, to give to those who will be having their birthdays later in the year; so you don’t have to go to the shop every time there is a birthday occasion.

Emails

Emails have helped save lots of time and money for many people. Instead of the old-fashioned snail mail, more individuals rely on email to get their messages across faster, cheaper, and more conveniently.

However, there are certain downsides to using email as a means of communication. Many people check their emails many times during the day, therefore hampering their productivity. They’ve become addicted to emails so much that they spend hours reading and replying, even to junk mails! And speaking of junk mails, sorting out your emails and separating the junk from the not can be a very time-consuming activity.

Written below are some great tips to make emails work for you in your pursuit to manage time efficiently.

Check your emails a maximum of twice a day.If you want to accomplish many tasks, limit your time in reading your emails. Suitable times would be first thing in the morning (to take care of urgent matters) and a few minutes before you end your work (to catch up with last-minute concerns).

Set up templates or a “Frequently Asked Questions” page.The same questions can be repeatedly asked by different people - things like how to operate a certain product, how to download a resource, how to join your affiliate program, and so forth. It is obvious that typing the same answers to the same questions over and over again is extremely time-consuming. It is therefore advisable to set up templates of answers so you can just copy and paste them whenever the same questions are being asked again. A better way is to set up a “Frequently Asked Questions” page so you can just refer people to it when they have queries. The only time they’ll email you again is when their concerns have not been properly addressed.

Reply briefly.Answer your emails clearly and to the point. Don’t overcomplicate the explanation. Never reply to spam messages or to junk mails.

Take the phone.Several minutes spent in replying to emails can be shortened tremendously by just calling the person. You’ll get faster responses and you’ll end up saving lots of time. And of course, the personal touch is priceless.

Terminate spam.Spam messages are very prevalent nowadays. Not only can they waste a lot of your time, but they can be very annoying as well. To prevent spam, don’t spread your email address like wildfire. It would be advisable to have a private email address that only a few trusted people know. If you can, make your email address more intricate. For example, use mark_jones27543@yahoo.com instead of mark_jones@yahoo.com.If you’re inserting your email address in websites and messages, you may replace @ with “AT.” For instance, write down mark_jonesAtyahoo.com instead of mark_jones@yahoo.com.

Get your email across.Sometimes, your email could mistakenly be regarded as spam, and this would waste your time in composing that message. To prevent such occurrence, be careful with your choice of words. Avoid words or phrases that trigger the spam filters.Some words to avoid: free, money, sex, amazing, limited offer, naked, opportunity, debt, loans, lottery, retire, urgent

Other Robbers

There are certainly many other time thieves depending on each individual’s circumstances. Examples include waiting for your spouse in the shopping mall, making mistakes in filling up application forms, and other such things. Use your mind to think of possible solutions. If you can’t avoid being involved in such predicaments, then at least make those moments productive by reading books, listening to educational tapes, etc.