Everyone has a preferred method of organizing to-dos and notes. Your computer monitor may be littered with Post-its, or you may use your e-mail software to track action items. Increasingly, though, people are turning to web-based tools. The benefit? To access these “cloud-based” tools, you don’t need to be on a particular computer, network or browser. A few suggestions:
You want to make every hour count, so you plan your day in 15-minute chunks and prioritize your tasks. That’s smart time management, but it doesn’t guarantee you’ll work productively. You’ll operate most efficiently if you banish aimless anxieties and the urge to procrastinate. Here’s a road map to boost your productivity:
“I’m worried the team won’t like my suggestions.” “I’m worried I didn’t give my boss enough time between flights.” “I’m worried they’ll eliminate my position.” Everybody worries sometimes, but too much worrying becomes a mental bad habit that costs time, money and personal sanity. What to do instead? Make worry WORK for you.
Tap the knowledge of people in your network with Aardvark … Block yourself from frittering away hours online by trying out these two applications … Boost your energy by tackling an item on your to-do list … Cut out that trip to the post office … Never shy away from negotiating …
Stever Robbins, who dispenses advice on maximizing your creativity and whipping your e-mail into submission, now is integrating time management and innovation into a coherent system for getting things done. Here are tips from his new guide to working less and accomplishing more:
Anyone who has worked for two or more bosses can tell you: The division of labor often leaves you feeling stretched both ways. But with some schedule-wrangling and communication skills, you can manage the work more smoothly.
Germ-ridden office refrigerators are no laughing matter. According to a recent Bloomberg BusinessWeek article, the noxious fumes coming from the refrigerator in one office were so bad, seven employees had to be sent to the hospital and the entire building was evacuated.
Strip formatting from a Word document … Work toward a big health goal one text at a time … Make clutter disappear by turning each piece of paper into an action item in your planner … Avoid information overload—and save time—by asking a specific, “micro” question … Connect with people who want your cast-offs …
You receive a meeting request for your boss, but there’s no agenda attached. You don’t want your boss to walk into the meeting room unprepared, but then again, it isn’t your job to do the organizing work. Is it?
Question: “On her performance review, my sister ‘Jenna’ was rated ‘below expectations’ because her boss said she took too long to complete a major project. However, this really wasn’t her fault … I don’t think this is fair, because many things are beyond her control and she gets little cooperation from others. What do you think?”
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