We waste so much time, and usually, that’s OK. However, when you’re running a high-performance startup in a crowded industry, wasting time can be dangerous. Here’s a list of productivity killers that we’ve put together.

The list has been broken into two, with part 2 out shortly. Here’s part of our productivity killers list for startups.

Your mind is your greatest tool and largest liability

The human attention span can be as short as ten minutes. If you’ve ever tried it, it is actually hard to concentrate on a single topic even for ten minutes because our attention wanders.

To overcome this, we need to use science and figure out what’s the best way to control it. Because, we’re only able to focus on things in ten-minute stretches, it is best to change topics and tasks every ten minutes, giving you time to refocus and get things done.

There’s no reason to waste time, but multitasking can help you still be productive.

Social media can ruin your productivity

Many people often say that email and social media are their biggest distractions immediately they log online. It might make sense to limit your social media use unless you run the social media accounts for your company. At least mute notifications, or have specific times of the day where you access your accounts.

Social media distractions are short-lived but tend to stack up over time.

Being tired isn’t a good thing

You must have figured out by now that tiredness is actually bad for your productivity. Take a nap and wake up rejuvenated and fresh to take up work and save your time during the day. Your company won’t burn down if you catch some shut eye.

The time taken for the nap will help you wake up fresher than you would have been had you decided to continue working when you still felt tired.

Lacking any form of routine

Having a routine isn’t a bad thing, especially as it helps you get things done fast.

If you lac routine, you may lose your productivity. People are always productive if they follow a daily routine, as it removes the need to focus on multiple things, as you already know what needs to be done.

Avoid addiction

We’re not referring to the hard stuff, but little things can derail your company. Addictions are subconscious and cause you more harm than you would think. When you are deep in your addiction – sugar, gambling, gaming, drinking – you suffer from withdrawal feelings and you suddenly lack both the energy and attention span to do your work.

Find out what that is making you feel helpless and look for new ways to find happiness with it and regain your productivity.

…………..

There you have part one of a two-part series. We’ll be publishing the next post in a week’s time.

To read more stories like this, visit our Tech for Business page.