Stop wasting your day with these top time wasters

(MoneyWatch) My dad used to tell me that "if you lose an hour you'll spend the rest of the day looking for it." His work ethic was Herculean, and I've spent my life trying to mimic him -- though I have to contend with and wade through electronic distractions he could not even imagine during his working years.

Recently, software developer OfficeTime conducted a survey of about 600 small business owners, business professionals and freelancers to develop an infographic that highlights the top 10 time wasters plaguing modern office pros. Many of their results aren't particularly surprising -- though a few did catch me off-guard. Here are the top time wasters:

• For better productivity, stop organizing email
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• Why email signatures are dumb

1. Email -- More than half of the responders spent at least an hour each day on email. 22% spent more than 2 hours.

2. Web surfing-- 80% of us spend more than 2 hours a day on the Web.

3. TV watching-- The boob tube is alive and well, taking an hour or two out of about a quarter of the respondents.

4. Simple procrastination-- One in five folks waste up to 2 hours a day just not doing what they know they should.

5. Meetings-- You knew this would be on the list, right? 70% of people say they're trapped in meetings for 2 hours a day. That even seems low to me; at times, I've been in 5 or 6 hours of meetings a day.

What are your biggest time wasters? Does this list sound like it describes your day? Sound off in the comments.

Dave Johnson

View all articles by Dave Johnson on CBS MoneyWatch »
Dave Johnson is editor of eHow Tech and author of three dozen books, including the best-selling How to Do Everything with Your Digital Camera. Dave has previously worked at Microsoft and has written about technology for a long list of magazines that include PC World and Wired.

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