time bandit

plural time bandits

1. idiomaticinformalSomething or someone that consumes an inordinate amount of time, especially without achieving anything productive.

   The telephone can be as much of a time bandit as the drop-in visitor.

   1983, Mark Porter, The Time of Your Life, Victor Books, →ISBN, page 101

   2 more examples

   Perfectionism is a time bandit that can rob you of extra time, lead you away from your priorities, and create emotional stress.

   2005, J. Allen Queen, Patsy S. Queen, The Frazzled Principal's Wellness Plan: Reclaiming Time, Managing Stress, and Creating a Healthy Lifestyle, Corwin Press, →ISBN, page 88

   Every member of the department can identify somebody inside or outside the department who is a time bandit: a person who is stealing their precious time.

   2012, David Stam, Andrew Scott, Inside Magazine Publishing, Routledge, published 2014, →ISBN, page 124

   Synonyms: time burglar, time thief