Make it more than just another meeting
One way you can help team meetings run more smoothly is to make sure attendees come to any meeting ready to engage. Try these two tips from Al Pittampalli, author of Read This Before Our Next Meeting:
Category: Organizing
Minimize disruptions to your daily schedule
Appointments and errands need not devour the lion’s share of your “free” time if you follow these tips during the work week:
Put your focus on what matters
Have you put processes or structures into place so you can accomplish what’s most important every day? Try these three tips:
Stop the stragglers; start the meeting
Years ago, Jon had set up an important team meeting for 10 a.m. At 9:45, he was setting up the room. By 9:50, he was ready to start. By 9:59, no one had arrived. “I had a decision to make,” he says. “What if I started the meeting on time—all by myself?” That’s exactly what he did. That’s why “Just start it” is now his No.1 rule for holding meetings that start on time.
1-Minute Strategies: Aug. ’11
Scroll down a web site one screenful at a time … Keep emotions in check at work with DING … Let social media help you network before a conference … Save people time by telling them how to skip the voice-mail instructions when they call your cell phone.
Next on the meeting agenda: brain food
You may have seen Chef Jamie Oliver’s show “Food Revolution,” in which he transforms school menus. Now Oliver is doing the same thing for employees slogging through long off-site meetings. If you plan off-site meetings or conferences, boost the meeting’s ROI by rethinking food.
Keep the office running like clockwork
Whether your workplace employs scheduling software, day planners for everyone or no formal calendar management at all, a few visual reminders can keep everyone running on time.
Build buy-in to get managers on track
A frustrated admin recently vented on our online forum: “I’m at my wit’s end!” None of the managers was “participating” in her attempts to keep the office organized. Our advice: Start over by telling managers how a tracking system benefits them.
Carving out time for a mindful lunch
We heard a story recently about a woman who transformed her lunch hour. Tired of seeing miserable-looking co-workers during lunchtime, she started a “lunch club” with colleagues. Craft your own “mindful lunch” that involves being with others, walking, being outdoors and eating healthful food.
Organize a disorganized boss? Maybe …
Your boss has a “hands-on” work style that demands all files stay nearby. So how do you help a boss whose office is drowning in paper? Here are tips for organizing a paper-strewn office: