Are “Time Drains” Ruining Your Productivity?

“We say we waste time, but that is impossible. We waste ourselves.” – Alice Bloch

You have 168 hours each week. Some of those hours you will probably spend doing things you have to do, some of them doing things you choose to do, and some of them doing things simply on autopilot.

Autopilot hours are things like:
– Recurring meetings that were once useful, but are now a waste of resources.
– Late night TV binging because you’re too tired to get up and go to bed.
– Cumulative blocks of time spent surfing e-mail, social media, etc.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of the above, if they are conscious choices. The problem is that we often slip into autopilot mode when we lack focus, when we are experiencing a dip in energy, or when we lack the kind of relational accountability we need to keep our wits about us.

This weekend, I’d challenge you to consider the places in your life where you are slipping into autopilot with your time, and what you might be able to do about it. (I know that in my life, nothing valuable happens after 10pm. I would be far better getting an extra hour of sleep than firing up HBO GO and watching an episode of The Wire.)

Where are your “time drains”, and what are you going to do about it?

Todd Henry

Positioning himself as an “arms dealer for the creative revolution”, Todd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of five books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, The Motivation Code) which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.

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