| Current Category is: Time Management | Select Another Category | |
|
|
| Home | Search | Categories | Links | About Us | Contact Us |
|
|
 |
Whats Keeping You At The Office (9 Tips To Get Home Quicker)
"Work smarter, not harder" is a cliché that has darted in and out of the workplace for years. But it's still as true as ever. And it's often overlooked advice that truly works. "Working smarter" means think strategically about how to improve your productivity. For starters, think about how you spend a typical day. Then eliminate the time robbers. How? Like this... 1. Discourage excessive visitors. Move the candy dish. Put it far away from your desk. Why? Because food is a friend when you're trying to attract or meet your peers but it's also a foe that cuts into your time. If 12 people stop by your desk for sweets and initiate a five minute chat each, you've lost an hour of your day. 2. Train your family. Set limits on personal calls. I once worked beside an executive assistant who received at least ten calls daily from her teenage daughter. Use the three or five rule for family members who like instant input: Wait until you have at least three (or five) items to discuss with me before calling my workplace, unless your request is an emergency or timely. ('Mom, the sale ends today' falls under neither of these categories). 3. Don't wait for the mail carrier. Do you read every e-mail as it arrives? Stop! "Instead of keeping your email program open and reading messages as they come in, check it only once in the morning and once in the afternoon," advises Janet Barclay, a professional organizer, time management consultant and president of Organized Assistant (www.OrganizedAssistant.com). Shut off the sound too triggered by incoming e-mail so you're not tempted to check it "just this once." 4. Re-deliver your mail. If you must check your e-mail constantly because your boss likes to e-mail you requests and expects you to do so (I've had some do that), immediately sort the excess into electronic categorized folders such as "newsletters" or "invoices due."(Go ahead and create some electronic folders now if you don't have any.) That way every time you check your e-mail for your boss' messages, other e-mails don't continue to attract your curiosity. Then browse the filed e-mails at once later in the day when it's convenient for you, not the sender. 5. Be less than perfect. You can't stop your boss' perfectionist behavior. But you can literally set limits to control your perfectionism. For instance, set short time spans for drafting basic correspondence. Or make it a rule that you'll proofread correspondence just twice before sending it (often best done with a bit of a delay between the two proofreading sessions). 6. Improve your performance. The way to really save time on tasks such as writing and proofreading is to become better at them. Use the 30 minutes you save daily while reducing your perfectionism to read chapters in a grammar book, expand your vocabulary with useful words (forget most of the five syllable ones) or take an online business writing course. Nobody should spend an hour drafting a thank you letter; yet I've seen it happen multiple times in corporate environments at all staff levels. 7. Call while they're out. "When phoning someone to give information, call when you are likely to reach their voicemail," says Barclay. "That way you can quickly leave a message and not get caught up in chitchat." 8. Think realistically. "Don't focus on 'catching up,'" says Laura Stack, president of "The Productivity Pro"® and author of "Leave the Office Earlier." "You will never catch up. There will always be more things to do than there is time to do them. People have a tendency to create work to fill up any amount of time they have. They'll accomplish the same amount of work in a 45-minute meeting as a 90-minute meeting. When working late is a habit, you tend to slack off a little. But by being more productive during the day, you'll get the same amount of work done...and leave earlier," explains Stack. 9. Get ready to go. "Make preparations to leave," says Stack, who teaches seminars about time management, information overload, and personal productivity (Laura@TheProductivityPro.com). "Gather up your coat and put it in a visible spot so others can see you're closing shop. Close your door a few minutes before quitting time so people will think you're busy or already gone." Now leave! Get home earlier today (or at least on time). Then perhaps you'll start the work day tomorrow feeling more refreshed, enabling you to be even more productive utilizing the same amount of hours. © 2004 Karen Fritscher-Porter About The Author Karen Fritscher-Porter is the publisher and editor of The Effective Admin, a FREE monthly e-zine for administrative support professionals who want practical tips to advance their career and simplify their daily job duties. Learn more about The Effective Admin and sign up today to receive your FREE issues full of helpful career and workplace tips at http://www.admin-ezine.com. Note: Want to use this article in your print publication, e-zine or website? You can do so for *free* as long as you use it in its complete and unaltered form followed by the credit line above. I'd love to know about its usage too if you'd like to send me a link or copy at karen@admin-ezine.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Because Its Been Years Since Youve Seen a Blank Calendar If you have ever missed an appointment, forgotten to pick the kids up from soccer practice, or lost a sticky note with an important phone number on it, this is your year to get organized. There is no better time than now to recommit ourselves to bringing some order to the chaos that is our modern lives. Top Ten Motivators Setting goals is the easy part -- but sticking with them over the long run can be a major challenge! Some people think that motivation requires will-power and dedication. Actually, staying motivated is all about setting up an environment that is conducive to you accomplishing your goals. New Adventures - in Four Hours a Day "Can you find four extra hours in your day?" a voice came over the speaker on my office phone, first telemarketer call of the day. I chuckled and answered, "Not this week. Painful Cost of Working Yourself to Death We all know the harmful effects of overwork. People get tired and irritable. The Power of 90 Seconds You can use the Power of 90 Seconds to transform your life. This power will allow you to:=> Prevent countless problems. Procrastination: Why We Do It and How to Change PROCRASTINATION: You've known about it since high school or college, when everybody boasted about it. Everyone put off papers for a basketball game or a night on the town. A Fatal Mistake that Can Cost You Your Business ? And More Whether you're a new business owner or if you have been running your business for several years, one of the biggest challenges you face at one point in time or another is overwhelm and imbalance.How many nights have you dragged your weary body to bed only to lie awake for hours with nagging thoughts of what you haven't done or don't have answers to?How many of your children's' ball games and school functions were missed because you had business commitments?How many evenings did your partner spend alone because you were burning the midnight oil by speaking on the telephone or hovering over your keyboard, workbench or reference materials?Was this because you loved what you were doing so much that nothing else mattered, or was it because you felt you had to do everything alone?One of the biggest mistakes small and home-based business owners make is assuming they have to become the chief, cook and bottle washer and perform all of their related tasks flawlessly and concurrently. Time Management - How To Get More Done In A Day? Everyday, in life, we are bombarded with 101 tasks that are waiting for us to resolve it. This is especially true when we are involved in internet marketing where we had to check emails, respond to customer queries, set up product page. Tips to Manage Incoming E-mail Friends, colleagues, and clients are all telling me that one of their biggest challenges is trying to manage e-mail overload. They say everyone wants something from them and consequently, they're buried in e-mail. Busy, Busy, Busy ?busy, busy, busy, busy, busy?busy, busy, bus? OK, slap me with a wet diaper! Enough of that silliness. Most you know what I'm talking about though, right? That's us! Busy. Looking At Time With A Capital T I keep a fossil on my desk at all times. Whenever I feel rushed or find myself creating a sense of urgency, I pick up the fossil and caress its polished surface. Ending Procrastination: A New Look at the Old Demon Do you believe that the best way to deal with procrastination is to "get tough" with yourself and "just do it?" Many people take this approach. What's behind it is the sense that procrastination is essentially a character flaw, a weakness, and that the only way to deal with it is to muscle past it through sheer will. Will Your Epilogue Be - I Got All My Emails Done? Work life balance is the new Holy Grail; that search for nirvana; the need to find peace and contentment, the desire to achieve that fine sense of equilibrium that we can be happy with.For some people that means not working at all but, for many it means being happy with the amount of hours they spend at and think about work and are equally happy about their none working hours; whether that be time spent with family and friends or time spent participating in sports, music or other hobbies or indeed just relaxing doing nothing in particular except just being!However, the achievement of this perfect balance seems to escape so many people and I believe that's because the important things and I mean the truly important things, get overtaken by the urgent stuff! Of course important to you may be different than important to me, but I bet neither of us would wish the sum total of our lives to be an accumulation of the achievement of stuff, trivia and emails!So many people say that vacation time is important yet they rarely take a vacation; so many people say their health and "keeping fit" is really important to them yet they rarely do any exercise and eat on the run most of the time; so many people say its really important to plan their time effectively yet they fire fight from day to day. Measure Your Time Against Active Inactivity We don't realize many things we do until we draw our attention to them.Active inactivity doesn't occur only now, it can occur later unless you catch yourself doing it. The Ultimate Virtual Reality I used to think video game addictions were a joke and I'd laugh anytime anyone compared it to crack but is it really that funny? Let's make some comparisons.? Crack consumes time that could have been invested more wisely - video games consume time that could have been invested more wisely. Isn't It Time For You? Does it seem like there is never enough time in the day? Why is there plenty of time for everyone and everything but ourselves? The fact is that you only get one shot at this life so it is important to spend it doing something you love. The good news is that you have a choice, you can continue to go on being overwhelmed letting time and life slip away, or you can make the time and start living the life you really want. Time Management: Setting up your Schedule for Success Would you describe yourself as extremely busy? Do you often feel tired andstressed out? Sometimes our ambition is our worst enemy. Many of us with biggoals try to do way too much. Tips to Manage Your Time Time and money are both very important in business. Yet, like me, many business people tend to give a lot more specific thought as to how to spend their money. You Cant Buy Time Our daily lives are inundated with a crammed to-do list. We are often rushing throughout our day trying to keep up with ourselves. Use Your Time Wisely! When I was small, I have never considered the importance of time.I would just laze around, watch TV, lie in bed, and play videogames.
|
| Home
| Sitemap
| Disclaimer
| Privacy
| Contact
Us © COPYRIGHT 2011 BRAINBELLY.COM |
