Procrastination & time management in a team: watch out for time thieves!

Who does not know that: all the time, everyone wants something from us and steals precious time. This can only prevent those who switch to tunnel vision and radically block uninteresting requests. That can have consequences.

Telephone calls without purpose and purpose?

We had it on best of HR - Berufebilder.de® have often heard of how to deal with time-consuming eMails bypasses. On the other hand, the underlying problem is rarely discussed. Because the problem with the computer is known to be between the backrest and the keyboard, i.e. in the Head of Peoplewho is communicating. And that's not just the case eMails but the whole Communication.

I just have to think about how often I am asked to make a phone call as part of my job as a blogger, for which there is usually no reason - except that the other person believes that they can convince me of their point of view even better on the phone. Maybe the people are not at all clearwhat they really want, and they find it difficult to put their concerns briefly and concisely in words.

Communicate radically

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Or the case when someone wrote to me on Xing about a cooperation and repeatedly asked for a telephone appointment in an impudently pushy way. As it turned out later, said person is broke and is known for his pushiness. Luckily I never got involved with it. And recently I was harassed by a large German job board whose Employees who were conspicuous by their frightening ignorance of their specialist area and who, in the end, still wished that I had the time for a detailed Feedback take - free of charge, of course.

Granted that Solution, which I have for it, is comparatively radical. And maybe not for everyone. Because it definitely implies that this approach also gives you an exciting opportunity or even an important one Customer escapes. Even if I advocate the motto here that customerswho really care, come back.

Procrastination - Definition

I'm more concerned with the forced procrastination through colleagues. Forced procrastination? The word procrastination is – also thanks to Sascha Lobo – a technical term that has become established. A few years ago, Lobo and Kathrin Passig published a book with the beautiful title: “Getting things settled – without a shred of self-discipline”.

Procrastination. Entire studies are being written on this phenomenon. From Spiegel Online procrastination was even stylized as a trend disease. The video above explains very simply how it works. And the blogger Julie Paradise once wrote so aptly:

"As long as there is theoretically enough time left, I practically won't start."

Procrastination - enforced in the team

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One could probably write a few more books on the subject, such as “Don’t worry – push”, “Wednesday after next is also another day” and “Summer House aufräu financing, later” – and perhaps one or the other will come up with many more examples.

But the fact that Problems being postponed is just one side of the coin. As long as procrastination occurs voluntarily, there is nothing wrong with that. I'm more concerned with deferring Tasksthat im Team is forced. About colleagues and bosses who consciously or perhaps unconsciously take advantage of the politeness and modesty of their nice, well-behaved colleagues.

People who can be described as perceived superiors. I found this expression in the column of Julia Bönisch in the Süddeutschen Newspaper. It describes colleagues who act like bosses. Describes it sarcastically Ms. Bönisch also doesn't care how to deal with this species: by taking them at their word, by fully accepting their authority and all compliments passed on to him.

The social consensus is exploited

Such people embrace an existing social consensus in communication: that of treating one another politely. Because even if you already suspect that the dialogue will actually lead to no result, you do not want to be a monster and people do not immediately abrade: first hear what the other has to say, you think - and then sooner or later, that politeness was a mistake.

Because once the time thieves get their foot in the door, let them be fast no longer loose. Having become wise, so to speak, from experience, I instinctively brush off any request that is somehow not very clear and unambiguous.

Time management: tunnel vision instead of serendipity

In the past year, this defensive tactic almost cost me a well-paying contract, not to mention the many interesting people I never meet this way - tunnel vision instead of serendipity, so to speak. Calling people time wasters is also true for sure not the fine English way. And yet this one seems to me Method the only possible way to deal with the flesh-and-blood time thieves.

Now I'm self-employed and I'm fortunate to be able to act independently of the anger of a boss and to be able to choose my colleagues and customers. However, I am sure of the annoyance of some would-be customers or cooperation partners. But what do employees who deal with such problematic colleagues or even one Executivewho steals your time? Here are a few tips for them.

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