Step 1 to Becoming More Productive at Home

To me time is the most valuable commodity we all have in life.  Some have more than others but as a whole, people aren’t all that great with it.  We create devices or tools with the original intent of shortening tasks only to have them balloon once they’re applied (smart phones come to mind).  I’m going to write up a two-part series about how to be more productive day-to-day without being too rigid or process driven.

Let’s Get Started
I’m a big fan of productivity, process and efficiency.  As a project manager, I’m lucky enough to work in a field where those skills are so obviously part of my day-to-day.  Like many people though, my body loves habits and repetition.  Over time the line starts to blur between what’s a necessary task and ones we do out of mindless repetition.  To compound the problem everyone values certain tasks differently.  If you’re a clean freak are you more likely to value vacuuming than a person who cleans once a year.  Looking for a solution?

Step 1: List out the 5 Most Unproductive Things You Do
It might be hard to admit openly but we all have open loops or inefficient tendencies.  It’s not about doing a lot more, it’s about being more efficient with your time so you’re free to do other things.  Below is a short list of some typical unproductive tasks at home which of course could be longer.  Do any of these sound familiar?

Commuting - The average commuter spends 12 full days a year in transit.  How do you compare?

Getting Ready / Winding Down from Work - How long does it take you to shower, apply make-up (for the women I assume), eat, get dressed, and check emails?  How long does it take you to unwind from work?  30 minutes?  2 hours?

Browsing the Web - It can be constructive and incredibly informative but if you’re like me you waste hours a week just surfing without purpose (one of the habits I’m trying to kick).

Social Networks - Did you know the average user spends 55 minutes a day on Facebook?  How much time do you spend using twitter after you factor in efforts required to split away from what you we’re doing before that tweet?  Keep in mind, we’re not good at multitasking.

Television - How many shows do you watch a week?  According to Nielsen the average American watches 4 hours and 49 minutes of TV a day.  This number astounds me but after factoring in morning and evening news plus a weekly show almost nightly you’re set up right for 3+ hours per day.

Housekeeping - I know you’re probably thinking that this shouldn’t be on a list of unproductive things but you likely spend hours a week cleaning, dishes, laundry and general home maintenance.  Just because a task is inherently productive doesn’t mean you’re efficiently executing.

I’ll post some potential solutions to the above issues in a follow up post but feel free to come up with your own list and see how you stack up.  Just think of what you could do with that spare time.