By Alison Crane
Thanks to the 1984 classic movie, Gremlins, most people are aware of the three core rules for caring for a Mogwai/Gremlin. The instructions are simple: keep them away from bright light, never get them wet, and never feed them after midnight. Breaking those guidelines brings chaos. When it comes to productivity, maintaining resolutions, or just about anything else we want or need to do; the time gremlins have to be tamed and not fed.
Wasted time and distractions are gremlins that bite into our output. Every person has 24 hours each day to do all the tasks for that day. Whether we are a student, an employee, retired, etc., the type of productivity goal may be related to our stage of life, but timewasters and distractions can keep us from achieving any real progress.
On average, American adults waste 2.9 hours of work each day and it generally takes 30 minutes to get fully back on track every time we are distracted. Reasons why we let gremlins waste our time throughout the day are varied. Time wasters for students and employees often start with a lack of clear goals or direction or even an inability to resist the immediate gratification of whatever notification just popped up. Not enough sleep is another factor that can interfere with our ability to make effective decisions and stay on track.
To make this new year more productive and even more pleasant try taming these four time gremlins to prevent them from chomping down on your ability to get things done.
Control social media and electronic distractions – the average Facebook user spends 40 minutes a day on the platform and adults are spending as much as two and a half hours daily on social media. Being purposeful with your time and interactions on social media or on electronic devices, setting time limits, and defining how you will use it (ex. As a learning tool or a way to maintain meaningful interactions with far away friends or family) can prevent wasted time.
Gossip eats up time and creates barriers – keeping up with work, school, or social gossip might make us feel as if we are part of the inner circle, but it can create a toxic environment. Excessive conversations eat into our valuable productivity time. Talking with coworkers can nurture valuable relationships but limit water cooler talks to topics that do not cross professional boundaries. When you need to be able to focus wear headphones or play instrumental music to block out distractions and signal to others that you are focused on your work or studies without having to announce it.
Multitasking does not increase efficiency – switching back and forth from task to task makes each task take longer and leads to errors. There is a reason why Publilius Syrus, a first century BCE Syrian-born Latin writer, is still quoted today for his saying, “To do two things at once is to do neither.” Maintaining focus can be hard but our brains experience less mental fatigue when we do. Try prioritizing tasks and then practicing single tasking to complete each one. Setting alarms can help you block time to complete a project and focus without stopping and constantly checking the clock. Using lists to break down the task into manageable parts and delegating, when possible, can prevent the multitasking gremlin from creating too many fires.
Procrastination, a common time gremlin for all ages – delaying or avoiding important or pressing tasks that might be considered less enjoyable or harder to accomplish. Sometimes we even push off doing tasks or activities that we want to do. People procrastinate for many reasons, but it can be from an unconscious fear of failure. This time gremlin is strong but can be tamed by taking time to examine habitual procrastination and gain an understanding of the underlying reason why we put off tasks that need to be done. Applying time management skills and actively strengthening our willpower can go a long way in subduing this gremlin into its mogwai form.
Being able to enjoy our work, be productive, and profit from our efforts starts with time management. To learn more about how to develop and strengthen beneficial habits contact the Garland County Extension Service at 501-623-6841 or email acrane@uada.edu.
Alison Crane is a Family and Consumer Sciences Agent with the Garland County Extension Service. Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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