If you’re not in the habit of setting process goals, you might say, “I guess I ought to do some paperwork or make a call or two before I go home.” You look at the pile of paper on your desk, or you mindlessly thumb through phone numbers, and all of a sudden someone comes by your desk to chat. Because you have nothing specific to do you engage in conversation and, before you know it, the half hour is gone and you have to go home. Even though you didn’t leave anything specific unfinished, you still have that vague feeling of having wasted time.
