Time Doctor has identified the three most common time wasters workers seem to have across the board. It’s okay to have some downtime, but when you are wasting time at work, you are also wasting your employers’ money, giving up opportunities to advance, and jeopardizing efficiency.
The first and most common of the time wasters is known as the water-cooler effect. The water cooler effect is what happens when coworkers gather in the break room, and drink water and chat for longer than they should under the guise of hydrating.
The second most common time waster at work is surfing the Internet for non-work related information. Time Doctor finds that over a third of workers admit to spending personal time on the computer for under an hour. One-fifth of workers spend between two and five hours doing the same. The majority of those time wasters are spending their time using social media sites and games.
The third most common time waster is a bit more subjective, and dependent on how the worker feels about the meetings they attend. Many workers feel that they have their time wasted by useless information they feel could be covered in less time.
Giving yourself some downtime is okay. But remember, you are getting paid to fulfill a service. Also remember that when you are carried away by your thoughts or something interesting you find on the Internet, you are not alone. We can all be time wasters. [via]