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Five Things You Can Do Now

Do you spend long days in the office, yet don't seem to have enough time for your important work? Get started right now putting yourself on a course of action to reduce clutter, stop procrastination, improve your productivity and achieve your goals (and get home in time for dinner)!

Top executives manage to "do it all" and still have time left over to do what they want. In his book, Work In Progress, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner says, "To be effective, executives must be organized, keep their desks clean, answer their mail, return their calls, and remain sufficiently calm to put out each day's small fires before they spread."

Successful professionals enjoy a higher quality of life when they learn to delegate effectively and overcome the burden of workaholism and procrastination by better organizing the use of their time and talents. Whether you are an executive, entrepreneur, CEO, telecommuter, or independent professional, you can master the techniques that high achievers use to simplify their lives and become more efficient.

Successful busness people have learned how to get more done in less time with fewer resources by being organized.

So, where do you start?

Begin by setting up a system to (1) automate everything you can, (2) get things out of your way so you can concentrate, (3) put things where you can easily find them, and (4) get your leadership team thinking strategically.

1. Automate everything you can.

If you have had your driver's licence for a while, you're not giving much concious thought to where you place your hands on the wheel or how much pressure you need to put on the accelerator. The mechanics of driving the car are automatic. Your conscious thoughts are probably more about how to get where you are going, what you are going to do when you get there, or the phone conversation you are having on your cell phone. On the other hand, if you were just learning to drive, you would be concious of the distance between the accelerator and the brake pedals. Driving in unfamiliar territory is stressful and any distraction at all could be disastrous. This example demonstrates what we call the "power of repetition". Frequent repetition of any task makes the task automatic, thus requiring minimal human attention. You probably don't give much thought to the techniques of teeth brushing or tying your shoes, because you have repeated these tasks over and over the same way until you are no longer aware of the steps needed to complete these tasks.

Applying this same principal to office tasks can have the same affect. Determine the best way to do a task and document the procedure. Every time you do that task, do it exactly according to the procedure you defined. Over time, you will become more efficient as you follow and fine tune the process. As you consistently apply the same procedure, your awareness of the procedure itself declines and your ability to smoothly accomplish the task improves. Better yet, once you determine and document the best way to do the task, determine if the task can be delegated to a dedicated and experienced person or automated.

An example would be to begin documenting the way you greet callers and answer questions when you answer the phone. Keep your notes close at hand and make changes as you get more proficient. After some time, you will save time because you won't have to search your mind for the appropriate response to a question. At some point, you will realize that you have a script that you can delegate to a receptionist, an assistant, a call center, or even a voice-activated information service.

2. Get things out of your way so you can concentrate.

Doing several things at once works okay in the kitchen. Most people have no problem talking on the phone while emptying the dishwasher. We call it "multi-tasking". But when we jump from task to task while doing cognitive work, our thoughts become scattered and it is difficult to complete any one task. The reality is that, no matter whether we are in the kitchen, in our car, or at our desk, we can only think one thought and do one thing at a time.

Get things out of your way so that you can concentrate on the one item you are working on. The next time you are in the middle of a task, notice what happens when you are (inevitably) interrupted. If you have lots of stuff on your desk, your focus will turn to the next thing you set your eyes on after you complete your conversation, email, instant message or phone call. With a clear desk, you can focus on the task you are working on, complete it, and get it out of your mind. If you are interrupted, rather than being distracted by piles and clutter, you go back to your current task because it's the first thing you will see.

3. Put things where you can easily find them.

Make sure you have a system you can trust to provide what you are looking for when you need it. According to US News and World Report, the average American spends ONE year of their life looking for lost or misplaced items at home and in the office. This means everything from documents to email to CD's, to a flashlight. It takes an average of 47 minutes to find a misfiled document. Sometimes you get lucky and find it right away, but how many times have you found yourself looking for something, off and on, for days? Before you file anything or put it away, ask:

• Why are you keeping it? (maybe the trash is the best place for it)
• What are you going to do with it?
• When might you need it again?
• Where will you look for it when you need?

Sometimes during a consultation, we will sit with a client and go through the items on their desk one at a time, asking them the above questions. After hearing these same questions repeated over and over, at some point, they start asking the questions themselves and our job as a consultant is finished. They "get it" - they know what to do.

Consistency is an important element when getting organized. Have you ever changed purses or briefcases? Even if you haven't you probably know someone who has and afterwards complained, "doggone it! I changed briefcases, and forgot my .........".

You really can get control of your in-basket, schedule, e-mail, files, voicemail, and to-do list. Imagine the energy and peace of mind you will gain by having a system in place for getting things done! Imagine being able to find anything in your office in 5 seconds!

Attendees of our workshops and seminars designed for businesses, associations and individuals have discovered that being organized increases productivity and lowers stress. By learning how to implement a proven, step-by-step process to help them and their staff get and stay organized, they have discovered more time in their day. By understanding the tricks for how to find things when you need them, you can stay focused on high priorities. If a company workshop or seminar is not available to you, email us so that we can make sure to offer a public seminar in your community.

4. Get your leadership team thinking strategically

If goals and priorities for your group (or you, if you work solo) are not clear, or you are not making steady progress towards them, create a solid plan and implement a process that will keep your team moving forward. Organize a strategic planning session to get your leadership team thinking strategically and creatively, solve existing problems and move to the next level. Schedule your workshop or retreat now by calling 630-681-9080 or send us an email.

Contact us for more information about implementing a system for reducing stress and increasing productivity, saving you time and money. We will design a customized, flexible, simple to maintain system for you that addresses the four essential elements of space, time, data and paper. We will create a program for your company, or facilitate your strategic planning session. We offer individual consultations, coaching and professional advice for implementing organizing methods and technology to effectively manage work. Call us at 630-681-9080 or click here to send an email.

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