You can prevent phone calls from stealing your time by telling the caller nicely that you have some urgent matters to attend to, and that you will try to call back soon.
Do you know another reason why telephones waste a lot of your time? They require the use of your hand, which makes it difficult to do other tasks when you are talking. Invest in a headset if you can. It will free up both of your hands so you can do other things while you are chatting away.
Waiting in Line
Nothing could test your patience more than waiting for your turn in long queues. As much as possible, avoid going to crowded places. If you cannot avoid this, pick a schedule where you least expect many people to show up. For example, buy your groceries on weekdays. Dont shop during weekends and paydays. If you can afford the higher price tags of items that can be bought through the phone, internet, or third-party services, then go ahead and buy them. If you treat time as gold, then the extra time youll be saving as a result of this act is worth much more than the extra money youll be spending. In case you really have no choice but to wait in line, then dont waste your time complaining. Do something productive like reading a book, listening to educational tapes, or writing your future plans on your little notebook.