Never Check E-mail in the Morning... and Other Surprising Time SaversJulie Morgenstern Julie Morgenstern Enterprisesreprinted from Bottom Line/Personal, January 1, 2006 URL: http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/blpnet/article.html?article_id=39810
You work hard but can't seem to get everything done. There are just too many responsibilities, interruptions and demands. Rather than working longer, you need to learn to use your time better -- and sometimes that means doing things that seem counterintuitive...
Shorten your workday. If 10 hours isn't enough, try nine and a half. Losing 30 minutes of work time each day makes you organize your time better. No longer will you tolerate interruptions... make personal phone calls from the office... or chat around the water cooler. Your pace will pick up, your focus will sharpen, and you'll soon find that you're getting more done despite the shorter workday.
Bonus: You have freed up two-and-a-half hours for yourself each week. This works just as well outside the workplace. Allot fewer hours for chores and projects, and you're more likely to buckle down and get them done.
Take a break. Hard workers often feel that they don't have time to take a break. Recharging your batteries isn't wasted time -- it keeps you running. Escape from your workday life for at least 30 minutes each day or a few hours each week. Use this escape time to do whatever it is that most effectively transports you away mentally from your daily responsibilities. That might be reading a novel, exercising at the gym or listening to classical music. These escapes keep your mind sharp and your energy level high. If you just can't find the time, add the escape more formally to your schedule. If your escape is exercise, plan a game of tennis or golf with a friend -- the friend will be counting on you, so it will be tough for you to back out. If your escape is music, buy season tickets to the local symphony -- you're more likely to attend if you already have purchased the tickets.
Don't look at E-mail first thing. Instead, use the morning to focus on your most important tasks. Most people's minds are sharpest in the morning, and completing important responsibilities before lunch creates a sense of relief and accomplishment that can carry you through the afternoon.
Helpful: When you reply to an E-mail, try to fit your entire response in the subject line. Some people waste hours each day crafting long responses when short ones are all that's needed.
Avoid the urge to multitask. When many things need to get done, it's tempting to try to do them all at once. But multitasking isn't the secret to productivity -- it's a sure way to be inefficient.
According to a study published in Journal of Experimental Psychology, it takes the brain four times longer to recognize and process each item it is working on when multitasking than when it is focused on a single job. Other studies have found that work quality suffers when we try to multitask.
To get many things done, either in the office or at home, do just one thing at a time. If another obligation crops up or an unrelated idea pops into your head, pause from your current task only long enough to jot it down in your planner (not on a scrap of paper, which could get lost).
Be your own boss. Even if you are an employee with a company, think of yourself as an independent entrepreneur working with your company, not as a hired hand working for it. We all are self-employed, in a manner of speaking. We work for the sole proprietorships that are our careers. There's a productivity advantage to be had by keeping this in mind -- independent contractors know that they must continue to deliver results every day to retain their clients; employees sometimes allow themselves more slack and act as if their employers owe them something.
Cut people off. Learn to put off interrupters without causing offense. When someone needs you, say, "How much time do you need? If it's more than a few seconds, let's schedule it for later so I can give you my full attention." The time will be more convenient for you, and the person may solve his/her own problem in the meantime.
Greet callers with, "What can I do for you?" rather than "How are you?" -- the latter might be taken as an invitation to chat.
Don't do chores when big deadlines loom. Faced with a big, important task and several small, easy, but less vital chores, many people start by tackling the chores. Knocking these off provides a sense that progress has been made, and it clears the tables to focus on the big responsibility -- but it is still a poor strategy.
Always tackle the most important job first, though it might be the most difficult and time consuming. In the corporate world, the most important task usually is the one that will generate or save the most money for the company. If you put off this crucial task, unforeseen complications or new assignments might prevent you from getting the important tasks done at all.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Julie Morgenstern, founder of Julie Morgenstern Enterprises, LLC, a time-management and corporate-productivity consultancy, in New York City. She is author of Never Check E-Mail in the Morning and Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life Work (Fireside). www.juliemorgenstern.com
