What do you do if you're wasting time on non-essential activities as an information security professional?

Simple and Free tool: The Eisenhower Matrix Try the Eisenhower Matrix! It sorts tasks by urgency and importance. 1) Urgent & Important = Do Immediately (think incident response!). 2) Urgent but Not Important = Delegate (patching routine vulnerabilities). 3) Not Urgent but Important = Schedule (security awareness training). 4)Not Urgent & Not Important = Eliminate (endless security news feeds).

Discovering how you spend your time can be a real eye-opener, especially in the whirlwind world of information security. It all starts with choosing a tracking tool that fits your style. But the real magic happens in the following strategic review and adjustment. One tool I've used is the Eisenhower matrix. It helps determine what needs to be done, what needs to be scheduled, and what needs to be deleted from your calendar. When you dive into your productivity patterns and align your most challenging tasks with those moments you're firing on all cylinders, you'll see a dramatic shift in what you can achieve.

As an information security professional, it's crucial to prioritize relevant tasks that directly contribute to enhancing security measures and protecting sensitive data. If finding oneself engaged in non-essential activities, it's essential to reassess priorities and refocus efforts on tasks that align with overarching security objectives.

Be mindful of your activities. Track your time for a day or two to pinpoint what's eating into your workday. Are you spending too much time on social media, checking personal emails, or getting caught in information overload from irrelevant news sources?

That is the MOST absolutely important thing. Invest time on it. It will pay off. And again, think out side of the box because you'll find those time wasters in places you wouldn't imagine. From app notifications (did you know that when you're interrupted by a notification it takes around 10 to 15 minutes to focus back on what you were doing?. If you don't believe it, Google it), to unproductive meetings or, and I discovered this very recently, chasing perfection. Let me explain that one. There is this one quote from my coach which reads: "better done than perfect!". Sometimes, we have a perfectionist approach to things and as they cannot be perfect, we just don't start them or worse, we waist our time make them "perfect". Think about it

Information security is a fast-paced field. Create a daily to-do list and prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. Schedule focused time blocks for critical tasks to minimize distractions. Techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix can help categorize tasks based on urgency and importance.

HAVE A METHOD If you want to create goals after, that's fine. But come out with a method first. Until then, tools don't matter. If you are a disorganised person, then you will become a disorganised person with a tool. Once you've chosen the method that better suits you - and the article list some of them - it's when real fun starts.

Probably I could write several books about Time management. Don't worry, I won't. I just will mention a couple of things: - Read the book "The One minute Manager" by Ken Blanchard. You'll learn a thing or two about time management - Personal choice: I find the Pomodoro technique very useful. Just adapt the working time to something that works for you (standard is 25 minutes, but this could be longer)

To reduce time wasted on non-essential activities as an information security professional: Identify non-essential tasks. Prioritize important and urgent activities. Delegate tasks that others can handle. Automate repetitive tasks with tools. Set boundaries for requests and meetings. Review and adjust your priorities regularly. Use time management techniques to organize your day. Focus on tasks that align with your core responsibilities and contribute to your organization's security.

Another thing which can help a lot is Automation, especially automating your repetitive tasks. Many security tasks can be automated with scripts or tools. Identify repetitive activities and explore automation options to free up your time for more strategic work.

One important factor is you have to ask yourself if what you are doing is actually something which is waste of time or something essentials. Sometimes, with incorrect assessment you might stop doing a valuable activity because you though it is a waste. So be careful when you are making a decision.