This would appear to be a straight forward title, and obvious problem, hardly worthy of a blog post. It would seem that way, but no matter how much I read or see about time management, a subtle problem remains for many an ongoing issue, due to external and internal experiences

Key Time Wasters
External time wasting relates to the situations and experiences we encounter that we did not directly create, but invariably impact us, because they are demanding our time, interrupt or disrupt. There are several reasons for this, but the key items tend to be:
1. Over-extending ourselves for situations that do not match directly with key objectives.
2. Not saying “no” (double negative intended) to unimportant things.
3. Failing to be assertive with others, and therefore letting the unimportant intrude on the important.

Internal time wasters include:
1. Not having enough personal discipline to do the things that are best.
2. Choosing things that are not substantive to devote ourselves.
3. Spending inordinate amounts of time obsessing over needless details that add no value.
4. Not having the confidence to initiate our own course. Letting other things dictate this.

As you can see, the time wasting concept is a deeper issue, and sequential in nature. It is not just a matter of choosing unproductive things in our lives, or being lazy. Many very capable people, who have a capacity and willingness for good action, often fall into traps where they find themselves experiencing lost time. Just because you relax, does not mean that is wasting time. The point is whether the activity is serving a higher purpose, improving capacity, outcomes, or your personal guiding line. You have to decide this, based upon important values, ideals, and goals. Time wasting can be minimized, if we decide to take action.