Need relief from carpal tunnel?
On the Admin Pro Forum, the conversation recently turned to carpal tunnel syndrome. “What,” asked a reader, “really works to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome?” Suggestions from fellow admins:
Category: Productivity
Crafty ways to corner challenging work
Colleagues may hesitate to share work if they’re not confident in your abilities. Here are some crafty ways to show others that you’re more than capable:
How to handle a boss who’s a hoarder
“My boss carried several boxes of files into the office one day because his wife told him to remove them from their garage. They have been sitting in the office for more than two years! He won’t let me throw anything away.” What can this admin do about a boss who’s a hoarder?
Tips on managing someone else’s inbox
Keep on top of the boss’s or someone else’s inbox with these proven tips from the trenches: 1. Avoid duplicating work to the extent that you can. 2. Scan for timely actions. 3. Customize any system you adopt.
Why do I feel so chained to the job?
A working mom writes that she likes her job and feels lucky to have it. But, she says, “I feel chained to the job and out of the loop at home and everywhere … Working part time is not an option. Any advice for finding a better balance?”
Overwhelmed? Ask 3 questions
Questions to pose when you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed: 1. Ask, “Who?” not “How?” 2. Ask “What’s essential?” 3. Ask “When?”
Reduce the load one column at a time
Fifty percent of a company’s paperwork can usually be eliminated, without disrupting business. How can you help reduce the distraction of unnecessary paper piles?
Career mistake #4
Executive search firm CEO Skip Freeman calls it “Fatal Career Mistake #4”—not branding yourself as a person who can save or make money for a company. These days, you won’t be hired merely because you have the know-how, he says. You’ve got to be a problem-solver.
Set a date with your to-dos
How do you make sure a task gets done? Peter Bregman, author of 18 Minutes, believes we ought to make appointments with ourselves in order to accomplish things. “We should all be working off our calendars, not our task lists,” says Bregman.
Scheduling a meeting with multiple VIPs
When the meeting participants are mostly VIPs, scheduling can be a hairy process, says executive assistant Trisha Heil. Currently, she offers attendees a basic date-filled chart, so they can narrow down the choices to a mutually convenient time and date. But what do other admins do?