5 Useless Things You Did Today

Posted April 10, 2008 in Lifestyle, Productivity 27 Rockin' Comments »

Are you interested in getting more things done? Does it seem that the day should somehow have more than 24 hours so that you can complete all of the tasks on that to-do list of yours? Well guess what: you are wasting valuable time each and every day with useless activities which are simply not worth it.

Actually, here are 5 useless things you may have done today, let’s analyze them and see if they sound familiar:

1) You Have Watched Too Much TV

I personally hate TV and consider it one of the most dangerous time-wasters. First of all, it should be clear that, when watching TV, you are not doing anything productive. Honestly, do you think that staring at a screen just for the sake of it is worth it?

Entertainment? Fun? You can’t be serious! Most shows you see on TV are absolutely horrible, is that what they call entertainment, is that what they call fun? Obviously, you are not a robot and need to relax, but wouldn’t spending quality time with your beloved ones, for example, seem like a better approach?

2) You Have Checked Your Email Hundreds of Times

More than a few people end up wasting a lot of time as a result of checking their email over and over again. Unless we’re talking about exceptions, about cases when you are expecting some extremely important news, checking your email once or twice per day will be more than enough.

3) You Have Gone Overboard with Chatting

Online or offline, you have to understand that, as far as chatting is concerned, you will reach a point when enough is enough. Sure, there is nothing wrong with catching up, but let’s face it: you most likely have a lot of things to do which should occupy a higher spot on your priority list.

4) You Have Followed Useless Websites

Let’s try to be honest here: is spending hours upon hours watching videos on YouTube or posting on all sorts of forums your idea of being productive? I didn’t think so. There are more than a few websites which are simply not worth your time and, if you are serious about maximizing results as far as your personal productivity level is concerned, keeping the time you spend there to a bare minimum is simply a must.

As a result, you need to either eliminate such websites from your daily surfing routine altogether or, at the very least, spend far less time following them compared to the present.

5) You Have Been Taking Breaks Between Breaks

There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking breaks and, in fact, it’s perfectly natural, but on the other hand, going overboard is not an option. You may think that you are being smart by taking a lot of breaks but, in the end, the only person losing out as a result of such an attitude will be yourself.

Does at least one of these 5 things sound familiar? If so, then what changes will you be implementing as of this point?

Best wishes,
Alan Johnson

******

Author info: This guest post was written by Alan Johnson, who teaches you how to Become More Productive Through 7-Day Challenges over at TheRatingBlog.com.

About the author: This is a guest post by Alan Johnson, be sure to grab your free copy of The Online Business Handbook over at TheRatingBlog.com.

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27 Rockin' Comments

Katharine
April 10th, 2008 at 6:37 pm

Uh-oh! But it was so gorgeous outdoors today that it made me feel lazy and content. ;-)
Jon Phillips
April 10th, 2008 at 6:59 pm

I have to admit, I spent some time on Twitter today, not very productive, but I don’t watch TV at all, so I guess I have to compensate with something else. Great post Alan! :)
Christine OKelly
April 10th, 2008 at 7:26 pm

I have definitely checked my email constantly - I really need to get better about that! No TV, no useless chats. I HAVE been on and off the phone all day which has prevented me from doing almost any billable work… but they were all phone calls discussing projects and business deals - and of course a chat with my awesome coach Dave Navarro which is a great use of time!!
Ritu
April 10th, 2008 at 8:16 pm

Excellent post Alan!

Like Jon, I don’t watch TV at all. So what are the 5 useless things I did today? Hmmmmm…let me think. Ok got it. Here I go :

1. I was on twitter endlessly ( thanks Jon )
2. I was constantly checking my email

whoaaaaa… that’s it :-). But I would say I have been on twitter so much lately that it covers more than 5 useless things at times. Once again, thanks Jon ;-)
Jon Phillips
April 10th, 2008 at 8:37 pm

You’re welcome Ritu! :)
QuietRebelWriter
April 10th, 2008 at 11:28 pm

Ah, time suckers. My weakness is continually checking email. When I’ve closed my browser and only checked in a couple times a day, I am so much more productive. The thing is actually doing it :)

And don’t be too harsh on TV. There are a few quality shows within all the reality crap. BSG? Lost? HIMYM? Well worth catching up on over lunch.
John Brougher
April 10th, 2008 at 11:41 pm

I’m all for productivity, but I’d be wary of completely trashing some of these things–although chatting and website-checking are definitely major time sucks, they also can both have positive sides to them: chatting helps cement or solidify friendships, and website-checking can be a mode of learning. Again, it’s key to separate procrastination from purposeful social interaction and education, but still–speaking as someone who thrives off of other people and who loves to be constantly learning, I think there’s a time for chat and for websites.

Just my two cents, of course. It probably doesn’t help that, like you and John, I’m involved with said kinds of websites. :)
Dave Navarro
April 11th, 2008 at 4:31 am

@Christine -
Thanks for the kind words. It helps to have a client who takes massive action on the guidance I give. :-)

@John -
I agree - for each person, these tips have their tolerances (I check email frequently, but it’s more profitable for me to do so) - but I agree with Alan’s premise: there’s a defining line between how much time you spend on something before it is a hindrance, and these tips should be used to help keep you aware of that line.

I blogged about virtually the same thing today.
Mason Hipp
April 11th, 2008 at 6:39 am

Hey there’s one you forgot to put on the list—checking stats every 5 minutes.

Over-checking stats and analytics is definitely my Achilles heel…
bsilvia
April 11th, 2008 at 6:41 am

:) Funny, but totally true. I’m usually stuck with 2 and 4!

S*

ps: I’m going to watch TV now, to rest my eyes :)
Scott Fillmer
April 11th, 2008 at 8:50 am

This could grow to be a very large list. The five you did were good, but I could have added quite a few more :)
Viv
April 11th, 2008 at 9:10 am

HA HA!! The TV- watching thing is so true. Revolting programs, rubbish ads.
Another thing I would add is driving your car 3K’s or more just to buy a loaf of bread = what a waste of time and petrol - why not just do without the bread for a day. OK I know we all have to travel to get food, but maybe if we plan our lives better we don’t need to make so many small, time-wasting trips.
And I agree about the emails - I check them 3 x a day sometimes - totally unnecessary.
The website one is tricky though - I visit many websites that aren’t that great, but maybe mine isn’t that great either!!???? So I would rather not judge…..I’m still learning and I’m sure there are plenty people out there in my situation - we need encouragement to progress and improve, so leaving a constructive comment is never time-wasting. Just my little opinion.
Adrian | Rubiqube
April 11th, 2008 at 10:04 am

I wouldn’t call this activity useless, but it’s definitely a time waster: I tend to check my feed reader way to often. It’s like I’m hungry for fresh content. ;)
Lyndon Antcliff
April 11th, 2008 at 10:37 am

This is the second time I have come to this blog in as many days, you must be doing something right.

My useless thing was to buy three books when I have 20 unread books piled on my desk already. Amazing what the justification of research can get you to do ;)
Zakman
April 11th, 2008 at 12:55 pm

Alan,

You’ve been reading my personal dairy.. huh.

I do all the five you listed on a regular basis, with TV watching claiming more ‘useless time’ than available ‘useless time’.

What I appreciate about this post, Alan, is that it’s really written for freelancers. This is so different from the hundreds of articles we read about time management (for managers, for teachers, for chefs, for used-car-salesmen, etc.). Thanks.

But I think did a faux pas so far as I’m concerned: “so that you can complete all of the tasks on that to-do list of yours”

To me, a to-do list works wonders. It can beat TV or youtube or useless surfing. It’s a great feeling to look at the to-do list and keep striking one off after the other. It’s a great sense of accomplishment and….

… and you don’t feel so guilty watching TV.
Scain
April 11th, 2008 at 1:12 pm

I’m only guilty of #4… and I’ve been to less than a handful of websites today.
Zakman
April 11th, 2008 at 1:19 pm

@Scain

Original Sin!
JudyA
April 11th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

But, see, if I didn’t check my email compulsively, I wouldn’t have seen this until tonight!

I do some of the things you said — it helps me get centered. ;)

I don’t chat much and I never watch daytime TV.

But, I do ‘check’ forums,although I’ve set myself a goal. Do not comment or mess around with non-essential threads in the forums. Every time I am ‘thirsting’ to do this, I let myself jot down topics to write articles or posts about instead. That has been very successful the past few days. I may have been thinking about the same issues as you!

Thank you again for a good article
Alan Johnson
April 12th, 2008 at 2:11 pm

Hi there and thanks for your comments, contributing is always a pleasure on my part :)

Best wishes,

Alan Johnson
weddingzilla
April 13th, 2008 at 10:56 am

OK, you got me. I multi task on my time wasting. I can do 2 through 5 while watching TV and snack at the same time. I work much better at crunch time. Once I’m done doing 2-5, I can still work while doing #1. :)
Meg
April 14th, 2008 at 1:39 am

Don’t watch TV, don’t use AIM or MSN, I have a good handle on my breaks and my co-worker chats.

But I probably waste as much time on the internet as I would doing all of the above. Did I get new email? New comments? New blogs in my reader? It’s a bit sad, really.
Fubiz
April 16th, 2008 at 3:55 am

Thanks for the tips!
Jenny
April 21st, 2008 at 6:36 pm

well according to this I do useless stuff every day. LOL

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