While time is precious, there’s an awful lot that we do during the workday to waste it, sabotaging our productivity in the process. Here’s a look at four of them – and how you can eliminate them and get more done.

Productivity Killer #1: Inefficient Meetings

Inefficient – or unnecessary – meetings can kill your productivity. So before going to a meeting, make sure that your attendance is required. If you’re running a meeting, make sure it has a clear purpose and goal to accomplish. Also be sure to create an agenda, distribute it ahead of time, and stick to it. To make meetings as productive and efficient as possible, everyone in attendance should know the purpose of the meeting and be prepared to help achieve its aim.

Productivity Killer #2: Chatty Co-Worker or Employee

Developing positive relationships with your co-workers or employees is one key to success. But if a chatty worker is having a negative impact on productivity, you must take action. Have some responses ready to go when that person swings by your desk – for instance, “That’s really interesting. I’m swamped right now, though. Can we talk more about it during lunch?” If they continually don’t get the hint and keep talking, ignore them. They’ll eventually stop if they don’t get the kind of response they’re looking for. If you’re the boss, meet with the employee and explain that their frequent chatter is disruptive and distracting.

Productivity Killer #3: Email

While email is necessary to conduct workplace business, it can also kill your productivity if you’re always checking it. In fact, it can become a constant distraction that keeps you from completing your work. What’s more is that according to a 2007 study conducted by a scientist at Loughborough University in England, it takes an average of 64 seconds to recover your train of thought after interruption by email. So rather than setting up an email alert or checking your inbox every few minutes, commit to check it only when you’ve completed a task, or every hour.

Productivity Killer #4: Messy Workspace

How can you be productive if you’re drowning in a sea of manila file folders and paperwork? Besides making you less productive, a messy workspace can leave you feeling overwhelmed and sap your motivation as a result. But you can achieve more and work faster by cleaning up your space and organizing your materials. One way to do that is to make sure you have enough storage and shelving for your needs. Also, conduct an audit to determine what you must keep and what you can toss out.

If you don’t need help keeping your workspace organized – but do need help organizing your staffing needs, contact Pacific Staffing. As one of Florin’s leading staffing agencies, we can work with you to create a strategic staffing plan that will help keep your firm running efficiently and productively. Contact us today!