Wasting time can be a great thing. Taking breaks and indulging in distractions gives your body and brain a chance to refresh and actually increases your output over the long haul. Study after study proves this.

The issue isn’t when you decide to kickback. The issue is when you waste time without even realizing that’s what you’re doing. What can be possibly worse than wasting your time without realizing you’re actually wasting your time. Like spinning your wheels engaging in pointless activities that don’t help you move your company or your life forward. Eats through your mental resources, frustrates your need for accomplishment, and is generally a short and sure route to burnout.

So what are these activities that feel important but are actually pretty worthless? Here’s a roundup.

1. Checking email constantly. Sure, you can answer that new email or message very quickly, but each time you do, you’re costing yourself the time it will take to refocus on what you were doing before. Stop this habit and set specific times for yourself to process emails each day.
2. Not just talking to them. Does it take you a 20-minute game of email Ping-Pong to plan lunch or meeting time? Just simply pick up the phone or go walk across the office.
3. Using tech all the time. Every day a new gadget or app promises you to make your life easier. Well, sometimes it’s just a waste of time to test these apps and gadgets. You can just use an old pen and paper.
4. Under-automation. If you do it again and again and again, you really don’t want to be starting from scratch each time. Invest the energy to make yourself templates (or techies, find more advanced solutions) to avoid this popular time suck.
5. Being too available. Don’t be too available, don’t be the friendliest lady in the office. Because that’s exactly when people will interrupt every few minutes. So if you have things to do, tell them!

Check these out and let us know if its helpful.