Is your boss a cliffhanger?
The cliffhanger boss likes to wait until the last possible moment to deliver a finished project. He thrives under deadline pressure and will create that pressure if it isn’t there already. How can you work around that?
Category: Productivity
How to run more effective meetings
The time-waster meeting is a common fixture in offices across America. The reason, says Reid Hastie, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, is that we’re not thinking about and valuing our time the right way.
1-Minute Strategies: April ’09
Cut back on workday spending … Keep your mind primed for work by clearing away the cobwebs … Know the right way to vent to relieve stress … Think “ABB” or “always be briefing” … Uncover wasteful spending with creative thinking.
Bright ideas from who else? Edison!
Thomas Edison not only invented the light bulb, he filed for more than 1,000 patents and essentially invented the concept of R&D, or the system of looking at problems and solving them creatively. The guy knew how to innovate. What can we learn from one of America’s greatest problem solvers?
Are you a ‘mouse potato’? Try add-ons
What makes the Internet useful is also what makes it so undeniably distracting: There’s no end to what you can find online. Luckily, a few browser add-ons that work with Firefox can help make web surfers more productive (all available at addons.mozilla.org).
Fan the flames of optimism
Fear can paralyze even the most successful people. To make it through the recession, though, businesses need people who can be fearless. Gayle Lantz, author of Take the Bull by the Horns, says that to move back into “thrive” mode, “You’ve got to figure out how to aggressively move forward.”
A better solution than the shoebox
If filing your taxes this spring made you realize that you need a better way to keep track of all your receipts, turn to one of these nifty services for cataloging, organizing and accessing receipts.
3 tips on increasing your ROO
Odds are your desk is a hub of organization. If that’s the case, you’re in the ideal position to create more value for your company by coaching others on ROO, or Return on Organization. Your task: Identify a few valuable tips, then share your expertise with others by offering a Lunch ‘n’ Learn on the topic, writing an article in the company newsletter or posting tips through e-mail.
The OREO approach
What does an Oreo cookie cream filling have in common with administrative professionals? Everything! Without that cream, there’s no magic center that holds it together. You’re left with two chocolate disks sitting there waiting for something special to happen. The special ingredient: you.
Decision time? Use 40/70 vision
You need to make a decision between two options, and time is a factor. But you don’t have all the information you need, probably only 75%. Is it better to decide now or wait until you have more information? You should make the decision now, according to the 40/70 rule.