Stop Wasting Time on Work That Doesn't Matter
Refocus and Reclaim Impact
By midyear, most organizations are deep in the weeds — juggling shifting priorities, half-finished initiatives, and the constant pull of competing demands. But here’s the hard truth: many teams are working at full capacity... on the wrong things.
Too many teams are running hard in the wrong direction.
At WorkWell, we see it all the time: even the most capable teams can get caught up in work that doesn’t move the business forward — because priorities have drifted, clarity is missing, or no one paused to ask: Is this still worth our time?
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone — but you don’t have to stay stuck. Here’s how to eliminate the noise, sharpen your focus, and regain meaningful momentum in the second half of the year.
1. Prioritize Ruthlessly — and Visibly
One of the biggest blockers to progress isn’t effort — it’s misalignment. When everything is a priority, nothing truly is. Yet in many organizations, goals set in January are still driving decisions, even when the business environment has completely shifted.
A Harvard Business Review study found that 64% of managers say their employees waste time on tasks that don’t support company strategy. That’s not a productivity issue — it’s a clarity issue. Time, energy, and talent are being poured into initiatives that no longer create value simply because no one has called a timeout.
Now is the time to revisit those original goals with fresh eyes. What still matters? What’s changed? And what can be paused, cut, or reshaped? The strongest leaders aren’t afraid to make adjustments — and they communicate those shifts clearly across the organization so everyone can refocus with confidence.
Ask yourself: What are we still doing out of habit — not impact?
2. Redefine Productivity Around Progress, Not Activity
In many workplaces, busyness is mistaken for effectiveness. The person juggling back-to-back meetings, answering late-night emails, and staying “slammed” is often celebrated — even if little meaningful progress is being made. But motion isn’t the same as momentum.
True productivity is about measurable progress on meaningful work
As Greg McKeown writes in Essentialism, “Being busy is not the same as being productive. In fact, busyness can be a form of laziness — lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.”
This tendency toward overcommitment and reactionary work is often reinforced by organizational culture. Stephen Covey’s Urgent vs. Important framework reminds us that most teams spend too much time in “Quadrant 1” — urgent and important — putting out fires and responding to pressure, while neglecting “Quadrant 2” — the space for long-term, strategic progress.
To shift this dynamic, leaders must be intentional about what gets time and attention. That means protecting space for focused work, eliminating nonessential activity, and measuring outcomes — not just output.
Ask yourself: Are your teams spending time on what matters most — or just reacting to whatever is loudest?
3. Eliminate Operational Friction
Even when priorities are clear and teams are focused on outcomes, progress can stall due to one stubborn issue: operational friction. These are the everyday inefficiencies that quietly slow teams down — unclear ownership, duplicative processes, inconsistent tools, and time spent hunting for answers that should be easy to find.
While these problems may seem minor in isolation, their impact is anything but. According to McKinsey, the average employee spends 1.8 hours every day — or 9.3 hours per week — simply searching for information. That’s more than a full workday lost every week to inefficiency and wasted effort.
Over time, these blockers erode momentum, drain energy, and create frustration across teams — even in high-performing organizations. As the pace picks up in the second half of the year, that friction only compounds.
The fix isn’t more oversight — it’s better clarity and smarter systems. Look at where work tends to stall. Clarify roles. Standardize your tools and streamline processes so teams can spend more time executing — and less time navigating complexity.
Ask yourself: What’s slowing your teams down — and how are you going to fix it?
4. Bring in Outside Perspective When You Need It
Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come not from pushing harder, but from stepping back.
When teams are deep in the work, it’s easy to lose objectivity. Initiatives keep moving not because they’re working — but because they’ve already started.
Bringing in an outside perspective can change that. Whether it’s a trusted advisor, a peer, or a strategic partner, fresh eyes can uncover blind spots, challenge assumptions, and unlock stalled momentum.
According to research published in MIT Sloan Management Review, organizations that leverage external knowledge sources consistently outperform those that rely solely on internal expertise. In complex environments, outside perspective isn’t a luxury — it’s a competitive advantage.
Ask yourself: Where are you stuck in a loop — and who could help you break out of it?
Make the Second Half Count
You don’t need a full reset to reclaim momentum — but you do need focus. Now is the time to eliminate the noise, cut what’s no longer serving your goals, and refocus your team’s energy on the work that matters most.
At WorkWell, we help organizations do exactly that — bringing clarity to complexity, aligning teams around strategic priorities, and removing the friction that gets in the way of meaningful progress.
If you’re ready to sharpen your focus and finish the year strong, we’re here to help.
Let's WorkWell, together.
SOURCES:
Harvard Business Review, Managing Complexity Through Simplification
MIT Sloan Management Review, Ecosystem Strategies and Organizational Performance