Time wasters are the enemy of productivity and happiness. It’s fine if they want to waste their time, but it’s not cool if their bad habits are negatively affecting you and everyone else around them. No one wants to be stuck with a co-worker or romantic partner who does this, especially since they do things to absolutely infuriate you.
1. They keep distracting you because they don’t want to work.
Time wasters don’t want to put their heads down and get to work, so they’ll regularly interrupt your flow with silly distractions. They might try to show you a funny cat meme on their phone or fill you in on the latest workplace gossip, and it’s difficult to politely ask them to stop so you can get back to what you’re doing.
2. They get stressed and you have to deal with it.
Emotional outbursts can be a huge time-sucker. Dramatic might let stress get to them and this can waste time because it forces you to have to deal with it or mop up the mess, especially if they lose their temper or turn on the waterworks. It’s not that you won’t be there to help someone who’s genuinely in need, but more often than not, this is just a technique to avoid being productive.
3. They call you for help at the last minute.
When procrastinators can’t meet their deadlines, they might stress out and call you for urgent help at the last minute. Now, not only do you have to rush to meet your deadline, but you have to help them out as much as you can. They got themselves into this mess, however — you should probably leave them to it.
4. They’re addicted to social media.
Time wasters no doubt find themselves spending hours on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok every day. They can lose full days to their incessant scrolling, and it’s really annoying for everyone around them, especially since they’re always distracted when you ask them something important. It’s like they’re totally zoning out.
5. They don’t ask for help when they clearly need it.
Often, time wasters don’t watch the clock. They go about their day as if they’re living in their own time zones. This can also mean that they don’t ask for help because they don’t have a sense of urgency. So, they’ll drive around for hours without asking for directions, which can be maddening.
6. They keep interrupting you.
Time wasters can sometimes be chatty and it’s selfish, so they’ll come to your desk and talk your head off about their weekend or where they’re going for vacation. It’s all about them! They don’t see a problem with spending all afternoon socializing even though the work continues to pile up on their desks…
7. They work without a plan.
They’re the type of people who go with the flow and don’t stick to a plan, and this can be frustrating, especially if you’re supposed to be working in a team. They might make things up as they go, which means things keep changing and you never actually get any further ahead.
8. They delay the whole team.
Seeing as though time wasters don’t stick to the plan and don’t watch the clock, they end up holding up the progress of everyone around them. Even in personal relationships, you might find that delays happen. For instance, you knew you had an event at 7 p.m. so you started getting ready early. Meanwhile, they’re still on the couch at 6:45 p.m.
9. They’re super disorganized.
Being around a time waster can be so annoying if they’re super disorganized. Maybe they can never find their keys or they’re always losing important files you’ve given them. They end up wasting even more time looking for the things they’ve misplaced, causing further delays for everyone else.
10. They love unnecessary meetings.
There’s nothing worse than having to sit through yet another boring meeting that could’ve been avoided in favor of a quick email. However, time wasters will find any reason to stay away from their computer and waste hours of everyone’s day. They might bring up topics that have already been discussed ad nauseam or even open up the floor for questions or suggestions about issues that are actually pretty clear and don’t warrant further discussion.
11. They ask a ton of questions.
Sometimes asking a lot of questions can be a way for people to procrastinate. By wanting to overthink the project at hand or ask you about tiny details that don’t actually affect the process or the end result, they can delay making decisions or getting into their workload.
12. They complain about the work.
Time wasters can be negative, so they’ll moan about what they have to do, how long it’s going to take, and how much they don’t want to do it, and this can spread negativity into your life. It can also be distracting, especially if you feel you have to show them empathy and be a better friend or co-worker.
13. They don’t know what they want.
There’s nothing worse than being stuck with someone who’s wasting your time because they don’t know what they want. They might be noncommittal or leave you hanging because they’re not moving things forward, like if you’re dating them and eager to hit those relationship milestones.
14. They’re always late.
Time wasters not only waste their own time, but they’ll turn up late to meetings and get-togethers so they waste everyone else’s time too. It’s so annoying to wait around and mess up your day because you’re waiting for them to get their act together.
15. They’re perfectionists.
Although not all perfectionists are time wasters, some of them are. They strive to succeed, but they’re so freaked out about failure that they don’t want to make decisions and forge ahead with their plans. This can keep them and everyone else around them totally stuck. It’s such a waste of resources.
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