Leaders - Avoid These 10 Time and Energy Vampires If You Want To Thrive

Do you have so much time you don’t know what to do with it? Do you feel that you have such a lot of excess energy you could be mistaken for a Duracell battery?

If feedback from my recent research across 300 leaders is anything to go by, the answer is a resounding NO! Few business leaders are sitting around wondering what to do with their spare time and energy.

And yet, chances are, we've all wasted both this week doing things that simply weren't worth the investment we made in them. We've all fallen victim to time and energy vampires (hey, it's almost Hallowe'en so couldn't ignore it completely!!). Here are my (slightly tongue-in-cheek) top 10! What would you add?

(1) You allowed meetings to keep going even when you could see that people were ready for a break and therefore weren't really engaged any longer

(2) You got wound up over something unimportant that you couldn't do anything about anyway

(3) You tried to to solve someone else’s problem even though they hadn't asked for your help

(4) You put up with a niggle that could easily be fixed but somehow it seemed easier to just keep putting up with it

(5) You tried to get something perfect when good enough would have been...good enough

(6) You worried about what other people were thinking about that thing you said/mistake you made, even though they didn’t actually notice in the first place

(7) You tried to fit in an extra task you knew you didn't have time for and then arrived late – and stressed – for another event

(8) You didn't turn off your email notifications even though you knew they'd distract you every five minutes and three quarters of them you didn't have time to deal with anyway

(9) You took on a task that someone else could easily have done because you didn't like to ask or thought you could do it quickly yourself

(10) You got picky about something to prove a point or win an argument even when your head was saying 'let it go'

The week has passed. There isn't anything you can do about what's gone - so don't waste time and energy getting frustrated!! But do notice the ones that cost you this week and resolve to approach them differently next week.

You just might be surprised to discover how much time and energy you get back as a result!

Your time and energy are precious. Guard them well!

And always remember, life will be easier if you observe yourself and others with interest and learning, not with criticism and judgement.