People are prone to waste time. They will cause you to waste yours as well, if you let them. It’s alarming when we realize how much time is wasted on unimportant, trivial, and totally useless activity. Time-wasters are famous for scurrying around, claiming they are swamped with things to do.

If they are wasting time, how can they claim they are busy? Because they ARE busy, but they are busy doing things that are not important or busy doing things others impose on them.

People who are serious about really having a successful life of personal and financial freedom have a low tolerance for foolishly wasted time, and an even lower tolerance for other people trying to waste their time.

We are all familiar with the following kind of people. Susie Social likes to drop by the office and chat numerous times a week. Peter Planner lives to schedule another meeting. Sam Cellfone expects you to answer each and every time he calls you. Vinnie Vendor wants to review his order for the fourth time because he just wants to get as much face time with you as possible. Lastly, there is Kellie Client, who demands instant access to you at all times, or she will take her business elsewhere.

These parasites of time have many weapons in their arsenal: email, cell phones, landlines, memos, gossip and face time. Are there any magic answers, secrets or sure-fire tricks to end the needless sucking away of your productivity and time? No, not really. You just have to put up your guard, draw boundaries, and be firm.

Here are some specific, yet easy, suggestions. Have scheduled times, maybe once or twice a day, to check your email. Turn off the ringer on your phone if you are beginning a highly productive work session. It’s okay to leave it off when you’re off work too. Don’t be a slave to the phone. You don’t have to answer it just because it rings. Realize that people will take as much time from you as you give them. They will interrupt as often as you let them. Their supposed urgent moment can dictate your response, if you let it.

When you have people in your life that frequently give you trouble in the area of time management, try this approach. Practice a “three strikes” rule. This can be used with employees, vendors, or even clients, when appropriate. Give them three opportunities to learn that they cannot expect to have instant access to you at all times. If a person wants to chat, explain to them that you are working hard to meet a deadline and then ask if there is something that you can help them with. If a client calls to nit-pick over some issue for the third time, assure him that you will take care of the issue and that there is no need for further checking in.

Basically, you need to find an appropriate way to convey the following message: I don’t like to waste time, and I will not let you waste it for me. You don’t need to be rude, but by the third discussion with any individual, you can be direct and to the point about your expectations. If that doesn’t seem to help, then just don’t allow them the opportunity to interrupt you needlessly.

Time is a precious commodity, yet, we often don’t take care of it the way we should. We guard our money carefully, and it can be replaced, but we fail to guard our time in the same way. Don’t forget� lost time is gone forever.

G. Brent Riggs, author of “Life Without Debt“, has over 20 years experience as an business owner, teacher, personal growth coach and mentor. You can contact him from his main website: http://www.gbrentriggs.com