Wasting time on unproductive tasks?

A recent survey reported that an average of 16 hours a week is spent on unproductive activities at work. That is 40% of wasted resources out of each 40 hour work week or 832 unproductive hours per year.

Before you go and fire 40% of your staff, keep in mind that surveys are just as good as the participants providing the data. However, with any business or organization there are areas that can help you stay on task towards being more productive.

Here are a few areas identified as top time wasters:

1.	Ineffective meetings a. Create an agenda and distribute it ahead of time. b. Create accountability for follow up tasks assigned to attendees. c. Move everything that does not need to be handled as a group out of the meeting.
2.	Lack of team communication Keep everyone updated on major changes regarding the company. People appreciate being informed. You may accomplish this with periodic all employee meetings, internal memos or email.
3.	Procrastination Create lists and deadlines and stick with them. Set reasonable and reachable goals and do not wait to the last minute to accomplish your tasks.