Time Leeches

Leeches are considered by most to be a parasite. These cousins of the worm, attach themselves to other creatures and begin to suck their blood. I entitled this post “Time Leeches” because there are people we both know that will do the same. They do it sucking away those valuable moments during your day. They drain the life’s blood from your productivity, vigor, and inspiration. We must guard against time leeches.

If you perform a quick search on how to kill a leech, you’ll find a few answers, but all have a common theme. You must remove it, typically with a flat, blunt object by sliding it between the attached leech and yourself. This is true with time leeches. The flat blunt object is exercising your ability to say “NO.” The bluntness of that simple word, coupled with a firm tone repeatedly, will remove any time leeches that have attached themselves to you.

A few ways I’ve had to exercise this week is email only and not answering the phone. Two simple, firm and blunt methods used to detach them from your person. Feel free to not answer the phone. A response via email or text message offers you freedom. It controls when and how you respond. Additionally, the lingering conversations going nowhere for minutes on end, tend to stop. It may take you several rebuttals, but eventually your time leech will find another victim. One not as cunning and as vigilant when guarding their most precious commodity…Time.

Today, Friday, June 23, 2023, I am grateful that:

I’m taking control of what’s important. I will be less accessible. I have to be that way in order to get to where I’m going. Picking up the phone and getting someone of my status should not be an easy task. Do you feel the same?

I’ve been given a few opportunities over the last few months to implement this strategy. It’s worked well for casual business relationships and friendships as well. If a paying client calls, I answer. If it’s someone that’s attempting to suck away my time, without fair compensation, they can leave a message and I’ll get back to them at my leisure.

I made some great headway today with my project. The days keep clipping by and I am beginning to feel some pressure. I will NOT miss my deadline. It is vital. I have lost all that’s important, including my storage unit. Today that happened and today, things changed.

Who are you time leeches?

Have you tried one of my methods? If not, what methods have you employed?

Do you employ any method at all? If not, why not?

What could you do with the time sucked away by your time leeches?

Be Great. Be Grateful!!!