11 Easy Office Tips

© 2002, 2007, Pam Hughes

 

Often wonder how the day gets away from you and you are left with more to do than you started out with? Try these easy tips to keep you on track.

 1.  Start the day with a smile and a prioritized “to do” list. Spend 5 minutes looking it over before you begin to tackle the items.

 2.  End the day with 15 minutes of wrap-up and preparation for the next day. Make sure your desk is cleaned up and your “to do” list is ready for the next day.

 3.  Know your peak times and schedule your “deep thinking or heavy” work for those times when you have the most energy.

 4.  Keep a running list of odd jobs (routines) that you can perform at your desk while waiting.

 5.  Have a tote or bag filled with reading material to grab on your way out the door. Utilize your waiting time by perusing the articles of interest. Start with the table of contents and quickly jump to just those articles you want to read.

 6.  Clear your in box daily: file, act, shred or toss.

 7.  When answering the phone, let the person on the other end know that you only have xx number of minutes to talk. If you are right in the middle of a project, let your answering machine screen the calls.

 8.  Plan specific periods of the day when you’ll return calls and are available for meetings.

 9.  Stand up when someone enters your office without an appointment. Move to the corner of your desk and prop yourself against it to discourage them from lingering too long.

10.  Keep a small notebook handy to jot down anything that needs follow-up. Then use it as you schedule your “to do” list. Cross off the items as you schedule them. Periodically review items in the notebook which haven’t been crossed off and re-evalute their importance. Then either schedule them, delegate them or release them to the circular file.

11.  Document the steps involved in all your routine jobs. You can then use this as an “operations manual” to share with others who can cover for you when you are ill or on vacation.

Okay, work’s over, it’s time to play! Know that we all need time for family, friends and self. And, in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

 

“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants.
The question is: What are we busy about?”

- Henry David Thoreau