Exploiting Short Downtimes
Much of a typical workday is spent waiting. The waits are often short, so we hardly even notice them. Individually, they seem inconsequential, but collectively they amount to significant waste that can be eliminated.
An example of this type of wait is when you show up for a meeting before the entire team arrives. You end up zoning out or engaging in idle chit chat while you wait for the work to begin. Again at the end of the meeting you might wait for someone to finish a personal story before leaving. Even the walk to and from the meeting is technically wasted, since you are not getting work done. While such short waits are inevitable in the office, the telecommuter can exploit those times for gains in productivity.
What you do with this recovered downtime depends on your work situation. You maybe inclined to focus on work tasks, or do a small personal task, if such an activity is appropriate. Either way, you save yourself from having to do that particular task later. You might not think that you can get much done in a few minutes, but you certainly can. You may even choose to keep a queue of short tasks at your desk to quickly complete during downtime.
As you get better at exploiting downtime, you’ll notice two things: First, you’ll be able to identify even more downtime more quickly. Second, you’ll be amazed how much more work you are able to get done in a day or how much less time it takes to do a full day’s worth of work. Taking back your downtime, even if only a minute or two at a time, really adds up over the course of an entire work day.
