Dump these time wasting activities and habits right away

If you're anything like me, you may find yourself wondering where the day, week, or even a month went. You'll feel like time flew by, and you are nowhere near achieving your goals. I attribute this to what seem like minor time-wasting activities that take up most of our time.

They aren't always obvious, but they sure do add up at a rapid pace. That's why it's essential to plan and organize your time daily.

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Time wasting activities to avoid

Here is how I guard my time against the time-wasting activities (these are both work and home-related activities):

1. Have a phone charger with you

I've spent a considerable amount of time either looking for a charger or having to walk back and forth to get one.

• It's not just the time it takes to get the charger. It's the disruption to your thoughts and workflow. Plus, once you leave the room to locate your charger, who knows what else will grab your attention along the way.

2. Internet speed

The time wasted waiting for the internet to load adds up to astronomical numbers over time. If the internet is crucial to your work, invest in high-speed internet to cut out the waste.

3. Checking e-mail

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It just takes 10 seconds to check e-mail, right? Hardly. Every e-mail message requires your consideration and time. That quick look alters your concentration, and there's no telling how far down the rabbit hole you're going to go.

• You might open three e-mails, respond to one of them, and then remember that you have another e-mail to answer.

• What if the e-mail is a link to a video of a cat chasing a dog?

• There's no telling when you'll get back on track.

4. Beverages

How many times do you get up from your desk to get a drink? However many times it is, it's too many. Keep a beverage handy when you're working. Take a sip and get back to work.

5. Snacks

Keep something healthy available. If you have to go to the vending machine for a snack, you can't be sure who you'll run into or how long you'll be gone.

6. Get gas for your car on the weekend

You don't want to be rushed on Tuesday morning and realize that your car needs gas on the way to work. Plan ahead.

7. Meals

We spend a lot of time thinking about meals, planning meals, buying food, cleaning dishes. If you have to stop on the way to work for breakfast, go out for lunch, and then pick up something at the store for dinner, you're wasting a lot of time.

• Go to the store once a week, at most.
• Have food that can be prepared quickly and easily and doesn't require multiple pots and pans to prepare it.

• Cook meals in batches and freeze.

8. Looking for "lost" things

You could be looking for your keys, purse, wallet, pen, shoes, jacket, umbrella, or anything else you've temporarily misplaced. Keep the essentials in a particular place.

• For example, don't ever put your car keys anywhere but in the decorative bowl by the front door. Your pen should be on your desk. Your shoes should be where your shoes belong if they're not on your feet.

9. Mindless television watching

TV does not need to be the default activity in the home. In reality, if you watch television at all, you only have less than a handful of shows for which you genuinely care. Switch it off when those aren't playing, and have music in the background instead.

10. Social media debates

It has come to this, but it's never too late to turn things around. Yes, these groups have become a prominent hangout place for like-minded people, but they have to be fit into your schedule, like everything else. Unless they are part of your work somehow, treat them as entertainment.

11. Multitasking

It does not always work (if at all). You'll finish a task much quicker if you dedicate time to it, especially if it requires more focus.

12. Refrigerator trips 

A considerable temptation if you work from home. These refrigerator trips are always pointless and not driven by a need to eat or drink anything in particular. It is a habit that confounds me. As a homeschooling mom, I've witnessed it happen in my home more times than I can count.

13. Failing to take a rest

I should know. My attention span is low, and if I don't walk away from a computer-based task to clear my head, I end up browsing the internet mindlessly, following all kinds of rabbit holes. I find that resting, even for 5 minutes, will allow me to be productive for longer.

14. Indecisiveness

This could be something as minuscule as deciding what's for dinner. Planning these daily activities will save you time and possibly money.

15. Failing to allocate deadlines to your tasks

Decide ahead the amount of time you will spend on a task, whether cleaning, meetings, studying, etc. We tend to stretch tasks according to the perceived available time to perform them. With this mentality, it is not far-fetched to spend the whole day doing something that should take 15 minutes only.

After you've eliminated the big wasters of time in your life, start looking at the micro time-wasters. You'll quickly realize that the impact on your life isn't so tiny.

Every disruption has a more significant impact than just the amount of time the disorder robs from you. Consider the loss of focus and momentum. It takes time to get back on track mentally after you've scoured the house or your workplace for a pencil.

Keep your time organized to increase your productivity and your sanity!