Failure isn’t always a bad thing
Failure lets you know you’re doing something right, admin and blogger Julie Perrine writes.
Mobile-friendly subject lines
When crafting email subject lines, apply the 2-2-2 principle to ensure that your subject lines are mobile-friendly. The first “2” stands for the two seconds you have to capture people’s attentions. The second “2” represents the first two words of your subject line, which determine whether your customer will read the rest of it. The […]
6 tips to overcome overload
We’re living in a fast-paced, technology-centered world, and that can take a toll on your productivity and performance. Use these tactics to minimize the pain associated with cyber-overload—and prevent total burnout: Limit multitasking and task switching. If you want to do something and do it well, find time during the day when you can focus […]
Hand draw proposals
The next time you want to vet an idea to your team, instead of using slides, draw your graphics and images. Nancy Duarte, Principal at Duarte Design Inc., says that is the approach she takes. She says that raw, unpolished images are fine and that they often bring about better discussion among team members. Reason: […]
Turning Eeyore into Mary Poppins
If you’re the office Eeyore who says, “We tried that before and it didn’t work,” highlighting the negatives isn’t likely to get you noticed—at least, not in a good way. Instead of pointing out the downside, try using these tactics.
Rein in office out-of-policy travel
If planning and managing travel are part of your job, you probably also deal with people who try to go rogue and plan travel outside the bounds of company policy. Travel Market Report’s Fred Gebhart has four tips to help avoid out-of-policy travel.
Don’t assume cruel intentions when asked to start at the bottom
Q: “I would like to transition from my current secretarial position to a job in our information technology department. I discussed this with my supervisor and today he sent me an email asking if I would like to begin by working on our computer help desk. I’m not sure what my supervisor’s real motives are for making this suggestion. Most technicians view the help desk as an undesirable position. If I’m trained for the help desk, I may be stuck there forever. Am I being too suspicious?” Concerned
Office gossip can be a good thing
Integrating into your workgroup is just as important as being good at your job. Part of that is getting in on conversations and knowing about office gossip. Certified life and career coach Dorothy Tannahill-Moran explains three things you need to know.
One is the most efficient number
Take a tip from Procter & Gamble, where leaders once announced that paper or electronic documents—even multi-million dollar proposals—could not exceed a single page. This rule will make you more focused and creative with your presentation and make it more of a grabber. You can always explain that support material is available upon request.
How do you waste time?
Which of these activities—ones that we’re all guilty of—fritter away your precious minutes?