If you are like most people, you find yourself in a mad dash from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. People these days are busier than ever before and this adds a lot of stress. But there are ways to reduce the stress of being busy by managing your day and life a little better.
First of all, you have to realize that it's okay to say no. Many people will over schedule themselves because they feel guilty about saying no when someone asks something of them. They may feel that by saying no, they will disappoint others, but the only person they end up disappointing is himself or herself, because there is no time left to do what they want to do.
Many people lose site of the most important priorities. They over schedule themselves so much to please others, or commit to doing so many things for others that they overlook their own needs. How many times have you been so busy that you skipped lunch? Do you make time to exercise? Sit down and make two lists. One is a list of priorities and what is most important to you. Now make a list of everything that you do in a day. Compare the two lists. Do they match up? If not, you need to make some changes. Remember to always make time for yourself.
Here are six ways that you can manage your stress:
1) Manage your money wisely. Many people are working long hours and sometimes two jobs to make ends meet. Take a long, hard, look at your financial situation. Are there things that you could cut back on to ease the financial stress you are under? Learn to manage your money more efficiently. If you get your financial life under control, your stress level will go down a bit and you may be able to cut back on your hours at work.
2) Stay organized at home and at the office. Looking for lost items or documents is a huge time waster. Not to mention the stress you feel each night when you come home to a cluttered, disorganized home.
3) Take your vitamins. This can help relieve stress, especially the B-complex vitamins and vitamin C. In addition, vitamins can help fight the damage that is being done to your body by stress.
4) Listen to music. Music has proven physical and mental health benefits. It can go a long way in relieving stress. Listen to your favorite music on your commute to and from work and while at work if allowed.
5) Practice breathing exercises. This is something that can be done anywhere and is a great way of releasing tension and lowering your stress level.
6) Develop a positive attitude. For a lot of people this is one of the hardest things they will ever do. It's a fact that people with a positive attitude have less health problems, less stress and more luck in life.
These ideas may not help you become less busy, but they will help you to deal with it all.
Remember, you are the most important person in your life. Take care of yourself. Learn how to deal with the stress of being too busy.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
100 Year Project
Imagine what you could accomplish if you were given 100 years to complete any project of your choosing. How would you approach your project management and your time management? What would your timeline look like?
How many years would you devote to study, observe, listen and learn? You would probably spend several years gathering information, educating yourself and learning as much as possible. Your studies would likely become more focused and detailed as you gain knowledge and expertise related to your project.
How many years would you devote to plan and prepare? Before making any significant investments of time or money, would you establish goals and objectives? Would you take time to develop a strategy with milestones and a plan for successful completion of your project?
How much effort would you put into gathering and nurturing your resources? How would you select the people that you would need to help you accomplish your goals? What characteristics would be required of these people? How would you support your resources in a manner that would help them to be successful? Working with others requires a significant investment of time and effort to support the other team members, and the schedule would need to accommodate time devoted to others. To be successful, there must be common goals, common commitment and common understanding. There must be mutual dedication to shared objectives. How will you accomplish this with your team, your resources and your associates?
If you had 100 years to complete a complex and important project, how would you manage your time in between all of your other responsibilities? How would you balance your time between working on the project and personal relaxation? How often would you stop to measure your progress and direction? How flexible would you be to adjust your schedule or your strategy based on your timeline or your resources? Would you try to accomplish key goals ahead of schedule, or wait until the end of your timeline and hope to reach your objectives? How would it change your timeline if you had 100 years?
Perhaps the most important step is identifying and understanding which objectives are most important for you.
In business, projects may last as long as a year or a business quarter, or be as short as one week. Personal projects may be as short as a weekend, hours or a day. In any case, once the objectives of the project are defined, it is amazing how quickly time passes. The time ahead seems so long, while the time behind seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. Do we plan for the time ahead of us to pass as quickly as the time behind us? If you are truly focused on your goals, it is likely that you will not even notice the time at all. There is sweet satisfaction in accomplishing objectives and discovering the freedom to focus on other important aspirations.
Are you working to accomplish objectives of your own, objectives that have been assigned to you, or a combination of the two? It is likely that you have many different responsibilities to family, friends, associates and work. How do you balance responsibilities to others and your personal commitments? If you were to map out the timeline of your project to accomplish specific goals in 100 years, how would you define your goals and your place on that timeline? How would that change your activities? How would you manage your time and your life?
Every day is a new day when you only have 100 years to live.
______________________________________________________
Words of Wisdom
"How does a project get to be a year behind schedule? One day at a time."- Fred Brooks
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."- George Bernard Shaw
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."- Soren Kierkegaard
"My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right?"- Charles M. Schulz
How many years would you devote to study, observe, listen and learn? You would probably spend several years gathering information, educating yourself and learning as much as possible. Your studies would likely become more focused and detailed as you gain knowledge and expertise related to your project.
How many years would you devote to plan and prepare? Before making any significant investments of time or money, would you establish goals and objectives? Would you take time to develop a strategy with milestones and a plan for successful completion of your project?
How much effort would you put into gathering and nurturing your resources? How would you select the people that you would need to help you accomplish your goals? What characteristics would be required of these people? How would you support your resources in a manner that would help them to be successful? Working with others requires a significant investment of time and effort to support the other team members, and the schedule would need to accommodate time devoted to others. To be successful, there must be common goals, common commitment and common understanding. There must be mutual dedication to shared objectives. How will you accomplish this with your team, your resources and your associates?
If you had 100 years to complete a complex and important project, how would you manage your time in between all of your other responsibilities? How would you balance your time between working on the project and personal relaxation? How often would you stop to measure your progress and direction? How flexible would you be to adjust your schedule or your strategy based on your timeline or your resources? Would you try to accomplish key goals ahead of schedule, or wait until the end of your timeline and hope to reach your objectives? How would it change your timeline if you had 100 years?
Perhaps the most important step is identifying and understanding which objectives are most important for you.
In business, projects may last as long as a year or a business quarter, or be as short as one week. Personal projects may be as short as a weekend, hours or a day. In any case, once the objectives of the project are defined, it is amazing how quickly time passes. The time ahead seems so long, while the time behind seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. Do we plan for the time ahead of us to pass as quickly as the time behind us? If you are truly focused on your goals, it is likely that you will not even notice the time at all. There is sweet satisfaction in accomplishing objectives and discovering the freedom to focus on other important aspirations.
Are you working to accomplish objectives of your own, objectives that have been assigned to you, or a combination of the two? It is likely that you have many different responsibilities to family, friends, associates and work. How do you balance responsibilities to others and your personal commitments? If you were to map out the timeline of your project to accomplish specific goals in 100 years, how would you define your goals and your place on that timeline? How would that change your activities? How would you manage your time and your life?
Every day is a new day when you only have 100 years to live.
______________________________________________________
Words of Wisdom
"How does a project get to be a year behind schedule? One day at a time."- Fred Brooks
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."- George Bernard Shaw
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."- Soren Kierkegaard
"My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right?"- Charles M. Schulz
Eliminate Six Common Mistakes in Time Management
Do you wish there were more hours in a day to get everything done? Well, isn't it true that you have the same amount of hours as any other person on this planet? Maybe what you need is not more hours, you just need to learn to manage the hours you already have. Here are six common mistakes that people make, and how you can avoid them.
For some reason, it is common belief that to get more done, you need to work harder. This is totally false. The secret to accomplishing more is not to work harder, but to work smarter. That is why you should always start your day with a plan of action. Every morning write down what you will accomplish that day. Start your day with this plan in mind. Mark through each item as you accomplish it. Do not let anyone derail you from this plan.
Another big mistake is being out of balance in your life. If your financial life is a mess, you can't focus on your personal life, so therefore your personal life may suffer, which will cause you to be unable to focus at work. Each area of your life influences the other. Do your best to achieve a healthy balance in all areas of your life and your day will flow better with less stress.
Trying to work on a messy desk is another big mistake. Studies show that a person who works on a messy desk spends one and a half hour per day looking for things. Being organized is the key to good time management. Knowing where everything is at can be a great stress reducer. Need to find that important document for your boss in the next five minutes? An organized person, with an organized desk, would have it ready with four and one half minutes to spare.
Not getting enough sleep can mess up your whole day. If you are tired, you can't work as effectively as you should. Projects will take longer to complete and therefore more time is wasted. Get eight hours of quality sleep a night. The quality of sleep is important. If you are tossing and turning, waking up every hour, you are not getting quality sleep. You may have been in bed for eight hours but you will still be tired.
Not delegating is a huge mistake in managing time. If you have the resources by all means delegate. There are other people out there that can do a job as well as you can. Don't waste time by trying to do it all yourself.
Not taking a lunch break is another common mistake in managing your time. Sure you may get that extra half hour of work in, but is the work quality work? Could you have done it better and faster if you would have taken the time to eat and recharge your mental batteries? Our minds need a break every now and then. Take a lunch break and relax. You may find that you get a lot more accomplished.
These are the most common mistakes people make in managing their time. Stop making these mistakes and stand out from the crowd.
For some reason, it is common belief that to get more done, you need to work harder. This is totally false. The secret to accomplishing more is not to work harder, but to work smarter. That is why you should always start your day with a plan of action. Every morning write down what you will accomplish that day. Start your day with this plan in mind. Mark through each item as you accomplish it. Do not let anyone derail you from this plan.
Another big mistake is being out of balance in your life. If your financial life is a mess, you can't focus on your personal life, so therefore your personal life may suffer, which will cause you to be unable to focus at work. Each area of your life influences the other. Do your best to achieve a healthy balance in all areas of your life and your day will flow better with less stress.
Trying to work on a messy desk is another big mistake. Studies show that a person who works on a messy desk spends one and a half hour per day looking for things. Being organized is the key to good time management. Knowing where everything is at can be a great stress reducer. Need to find that important document for your boss in the next five minutes? An organized person, with an organized desk, would have it ready with four and one half minutes to spare.
Not getting enough sleep can mess up your whole day. If you are tired, you can't work as effectively as you should. Projects will take longer to complete and therefore more time is wasted. Get eight hours of quality sleep a night. The quality of sleep is important. If you are tossing and turning, waking up every hour, you are not getting quality sleep. You may have been in bed for eight hours but you will still be tired.
Not delegating is a huge mistake in managing time. If you have the resources by all means delegate. There are other people out there that can do a job as well as you can. Don't waste time by trying to do it all yourself.
Not taking a lunch break is another common mistake in managing your time. Sure you may get that extra half hour of work in, but is the work quality work? Could you have done it better and faster if you would have taken the time to eat and recharge your mental batteries? Our minds need a break every now and then. Take a lunch break and relax. You may find that you get a lot more accomplished.
These are the most common mistakes people make in managing their time. Stop making these mistakes and stand out from the crowd.
Six Ways to Become More Efficient At Work And At Home
Most of us are eager to give of ourselves and then give some more. Whether it's giving advice to friends or coworkers, volunteering for activities in the community or at our child's school or just saying yes to every request that comes our way. What happens with all this giving is you become so buried under a mountain of responsibilities that the most important things in your life suffer. You have to take time for yourself and your family. One way to do this is to become more efficient in every area of your life. Let's look at six ways to become efficient.
1) Schedule your day. If you have to, get up an hour early each day and write out your plan for the day. Then priotize each task on your list and put it in order of priority. Schedule what you need to do into a planning sheet and block out time to get it accomplished. Do this every single day, even on the weekends.
2) Stop trying to multi-task. Turn off the email notification function on your computer. Email kills your concentration and makes you lose focus on what you were doing. Don't get side lined by interruptions from others. If you are trying to finish a report for an important client or meeting, don't accept a request from a drop-in visitor who "just has a quick question"
3) Learn to control self-interruption. You are at your desk absorbed in your work, when all of a sudden you brain starts talking to you. It reminds you of something that you need to tell a coworker or an important task that you need to take care of. Instead of grabbing the phone or shooting off an email, write down what you need to tell that person or the task that you need to do in a separate binder that you keep for such purposes. Keep working on your current project and set aside time later to take care of things on your binder list.
4) Say NO more often. Know what your priorities are. When someone requests something of you and it doesn't fit into your priorities, just say no. You don't have to justify your answer with a long explanation or excuse.
5) Delegate as much as you can. We often think we can do everything ourselves, or that others will not devote as much care to the task as we would have. That is delusion, as we do not have enough time to do all that anyway. Other coworkers or other members of your family could easily do some of the tasks. Get away from the thinking that you are the only one who can do the job right.
6) Stop trying to be perfect. Some tasks can be done and are just as successful even if they are not perfect. Trying to be perfect with everything will slow you down and cause too much un-needed stress in your life.
Your time is a very precious resource that should not be wasted. Efficiency is the key to getting things accomplished in your work and at home. Implement the above steps and you will find yourself accomplishing more in less time, and with less stress.
1) Schedule your day. If you have to, get up an hour early each day and write out your plan for the day. Then priotize each task on your list and put it in order of priority. Schedule what you need to do into a planning sheet and block out time to get it accomplished. Do this every single day, even on the weekends.
2) Stop trying to multi-task. Turn off the email notification function on your computer. Email kills your concentration and makes you lose focus on what you were doing. Don't get side lined by interruptions from others. If you are trying to finish a report for an important client or meeting, don't accept a request from a drop-in visitor who "just has a quick question"
3) Learn to control self-interruption. You are at your desk absorbed in your work, when all of a sudden you brain starts talking to you. It reminds you of something that you need to tell a coworker or an important task that you need to take care of. Instead of grabbing the phone or shooting off an email, write down what you need to tell that person or the task that you need to do in a separate binder that you keep for such purposes. Keep working on your current project and set aside time later to take care of things on your binder list.
4) Say NO more often. Know what your priorities are. When someone requests something of you and it doesn't fit into your priorities, just say no. You don't have to justify your answer with a long explanation or excuse.
5) Delegate as much as you can. We often think we can do everything ourselves, or that others will not devote as much care to the task as we would have. That is delusion, as we do not have enough time to do all that anyway. Other coworkers or other members of your family could easily do some of the tasks. Get away from the thinking that you are the only one who can do the job right.
6) Stop trying to be perfect. Some tasks can be done and are just as successful even if they are not perfect. Trying to be perfect with everything will slow you down and cause too much un-needed stress in your life.
Your time is a very precious resource that should not be wasted. Efficiency is the key to getting things accomplished in your work and at home. Implement the above steps and you will find yourself accomplishing more in less time, and with less stress.
How To Get Yourself Organized By Using A Checklist
checklist is the best way to get organized for any event. Most of us make a grocery list before going to the store, why not make a list for everything else in life? The benefits greatly outweigh the time that it may take to make one. The more checklists that you make, the faster you will get at it. So what kind of checklists should you make? The following lists some general ideas for checklists:
Checklist for everyday. Start your mornings by making a list of all the things that you need to accomplish each day. Carry it with you and mark each item off when completed. This will give a great feeling of accomplishment and closure.
Household maintenance. Develop a household maintenance list divided into months. For instance for the month of October or November your list may include cleaning the gutters. Every month may have a day to change the filter on your furnace or central air unit. Check the list a few months in advance to see if you need to schedule specific maintenance people to do a job for you.
Christmas preparations. This list will only be used once a year but can save a lot of time and frustration. List dinner preparations such as what recipes to use, who to invite etc. You may want to include the date that you should send out Christmas cards and who to buy for including their special likes and dislikes. This will alleviate a lot of stress for you during the hectic holiday time.
Packing list. Packing for vacation or for just going on a business trip can seem like a daunting task. Make a list of everything that you need to pack. Include on your list things that you need to arrange before leaving on vacation such as stopping your mail, giving the neighbor the needed information, turning down the thermostat and car maintenance.
Christmas gifts. You use this list once a year also, and it too saves you a lot of time. List all the people for whom you need to get presents for. List the items that you intend to get for them, and when you should complete the shopping for this. If you are buying online, plan for the delivery time as well.
Weekly cleaning list. A weekly cleaning list should be developed and hung on the wall for everyone to see. Beside each job include the person's name that is responsible for the job that week. Make sure they mark through the job when completed.
Car Maintenance checklist. Schedule times when you need to make appointments for an oil change and general car maintenance.
Developing checklists for your life with go a long way in reducing stress. Having a list will also make it easier to delegate tasks to other people in your household. The great thing about these checklists is they can all be stored on your computer and printed out as needed. Or if you prefer, create a special binder for all of your checklists. Once you start making checklists, you will wonder how you ever lived without them.
Checklist for everyday. Start your mornings by making a list of all the things that you need to accomplish each day. Carry it with you and mark each item off when completed. This will give a great feeling of accomplishment and closure.
Household maintenance. Develop a household maintenance list divided into months. For instance for the month of October or November your list may include cleaning the gutters. Every month may have a day to change the filter on your furnace or central air unit. Check the list a few months in advance to see if you need to schedule specific maintenance people to do a job for you.
Christmas preparations. This list will only be used once a year but can save a lot of time and frustration. List dinner preparations such as what recipes to use, who to invite etc. You may want to include the date that you should send out Christmas cards and who to buy for including their special likes and dislikes. This will alleviate a lot of stress for you during the hectic holiday time.
Packing list. Packing for vacation or for just going on a business trip can seem like a daunting task. Make a list of everything that you need to pack. Include on your list things that you need to arrange before leaving on vacation such as stopping your mail, giving the neighbor the needed information, turning down the thermostat and car maintenance.
Christmas gifts. You use this list once a year also, and it too saves you a lot of time. List all the people for whom you need to get presents for. List the items that you intend to get for them, and when you should complete the shopping for this. If you are buying online, plan for the delivery time as well.
Weekly cleaning list. A weekly cleaning list should be developed and hung on the wall for everyone to see. Beside each job include the person's name that is responsible for the job that week. Make sure they mark through the job when completed.
Car Maintenance checklist. Schedule times when you need to make appointments for an oil change and general car maintenance.
Developing checklists for your life with go a long way in reducing stress. Having a list will also make it easier to delegate tasks to other people in your household. The great thing about these checklists is they can all be stored on your computer and printed out as needed. Or if you prefer, create a special binder for all of your checklists. Once you start making checklists, you will wonder how you ever lived without them.
Get Email under Control
Email was designed to be a tool to expedite and simplify communication. Tools are effective when managed properly. What happens when the tool starts to manage the person? What happens when a tool for communication replaces conversation and personal interaction? What happens when a time saving tool begins to consume our time? Then it is time to get email under control.
Use Separate Email Accounts
Many people have an email address that is associated with the workplace. This email address should be strictly limited to work related communications and should not be used for personal correspondence. There are many free services available for creating a personal email address that can be used for personal correspondence. If you want to stay in touch with friends, family or classmates, use your personal email address. If you want to share jokes, keep it outside of work. If you want to use an email for registrations, updates or informational newsletters, then use a personal email address. Your personal email address can go places that your work assigned email address can not go, like your next job for example.
Maintaining separate email accounts will help schedule time by maintaining a clear delineation between time at work and personal time. Keeping a personal email address out of the workplace will help to keep your personal life just that - personal. There also may be observations, jokes or comments that you want to share that may not be appropriate for a work related email account. Remember that everything that you send through a company email server is typically stored or archived, and that makes it available long after you deleted it from your own computer. Email correspondence is a favorite target for courtroom entertainment, and a single sentence taken out of context can be devastating. So use the work related email for professional communication and keep the personal correspondence on the side.
Folders and Archives
There are many useful ways to organize the incoming emails. Some individuals prefer to file email by the sender of the email. This makes it easy to locate historical email if you can remember who sent it to you. Some email tools also have functions to immediately sort and store incoming email by the sender. Keep in mind that the email chain may be copied into multiple folders if there are several people copied on the email and participating in a chain of updates.
An alternative method of organizing email is to file according to topic. This is a manual process that requires thought and manual effort. It can be useful if there are many individuals associated with an organization or event that you want to manage as a group.
Another useful tool for organizing email is to create monthly folders for temporarily holding emails that you intend to delete. Start at the beginning of each month by creating a folder or directory for holding email that has been read and is intended to be discarded. The directory may be a place to put email that is not intended to be preserved for historical reference, but might be handy to keep around in case it is needed. Continue making a new directory at the beginning of the following month, and the one after that. Once you have collected three months worth of email in three separate folders, then each time that you create a new folder at the beginning of one month, you can delete the folder that is ninety days old. For example, once you have accumulated folders for January, February and March, you might consider deleting or archiving all of the email associated with the January folder when starting April. This is a simple and easy way to manage archiving email on a scheduled basis.
Keep Your In Box Empty
Organize your priorities, file email by person or topic, and archive monthly. If there are still unresolved emails that need to be addressed, then create another directory labeled HOT or PRIORITY for follow-up. Move outstanding or unresolved email into that category for future follow-up and get it out of the general in box. This makes it much easier to manage the new incoming communications clearly and effectively. Clearing out the In Box will also help to reduce stress. Leaving unresolved email in the general In Box is sometimes perceived as a convenient reminder or 'to do' list. Why torture yourself with a constant nagging 'to do' list of things that you can not resolve immediately? Move it out of the way until you can resolve it and eliminate the distraction.
Schedule Time
Brace yourself, this observation may come as a bit of a shock, "email is not intended to be a conversation". Email is not a tool for real time communication. Email is not instant messaging. Email is not in person and it is not a phone call. Email is not an effective tool for carrying on real time interactive discourse. If there is an emergency, consider other methods of communication. If there is a need for continual clarification or interaction then consider another form of communication. If the email dialogue has been reduced to a conversation then the tool is managing you.
Create a schedule for checking email. Stick with your schedule and some amazing things will happen. The first amazing thing is that some email chains will resolve themselves before you become an active participant. Just because a group of people participated in a real time email communication, it does not mean that you have to do the same. Wait for the activity to subside and you may be able to catch up on the whole chain of communications by reading one long string, as opposed to being constantly interrupted by multiple other comments as they are added to the pile. It is easier to read the chain all at once rather than sporadically as it develops throughout the day.
The second amazing thing that will happen if you stick to your schedule is that other people will come to recognize and accommodate your schedule. If you are a morning person then people will come to expect your replies in the morning. If you check emails at night because you travel or have meetings during the day, then people will come to expect your response the following day. If you schedule your email periodically at certain times during the day, then people will get to know your routine and will anticipate your replies accordingly. Not surprisingly, it means that people will also adjust the times that they send the email to you. Overall, handling email in scheduled blocks of time is useful for organizing schedules for the sender and the recipient. It allows you to give your full focus on the conversation or activity of the moment will full confidence that you will see your email at a scheduled time, and thereby reduce distractions all around.
Functional versus Conversational
Do you ever find yourself sitting at your computer and waiting for the next email to arrive? Do you respond to every pop-up message alert? If so, then you are addicted to email conversations and need to break yourself of the habit. There is a much better life waiting for you, complete with sunshine and fresh air. Email is intended to be a functional tool. It is useful for communicating to large groups of people simultaneously. Email is a good tool for documenting communications. Email is a great way to stay in touch over long distances and extended periods of time. Email is not a tool for real time communication. If you find yourself using a work related email account for conversational email, then consider scheduling time for your personal email account and make the separation for better time management.
Don't Everyone Thank Me at Once!
Positive reinforcement and personal recognition are important for motivation and relationships. If you are compelled to respond to an email correspondence with a 'Thank you', then send it to one person. If the accomplishment or contribution is so outstanding that it is worthy of informing a large group of people or the entire company, then take the time to document with detail the effort and result that is being appreciated. A simple "thank you" between two individuals is fine. Copying a multitude of people on the simple expression of appreciation is not necessary. If it is important enough to copy everyone on a personal 'thank you', then it is worth taking the time to write more.
Be Explicit or Be Brief
Email can be brief to be effective. For example, a simple response or "yes" or "no" may be sufficient under certain circumstances. If brevity fits the situation, then be brief. On the other hand, sometimes a detailed explanation may be a useful response, especially if there are important nuances or details that may otherwise be overlooked. Adapt your email style to the content, message and the recipient.
Are you getting email from other people who could use some advice to get their email under control? Share some tips with them and see if you get a "Thank you" in return. Who is really reading your email?
______________________________________________________
Words of Wisdom
"The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity."- Walt Whitman, Songs of the Open Road
"Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after."- Anne Morrow Lindberg, "Gift from the Sea'
"Electronic communication is an instantaneous and illusory contact that creates a sense of intimacy without the emotional investment that leads to close friendships." - Clifford Toll, "Silicon Snake Oil"
______________________________________________________
John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital.
Use Separate Email Accounts
Many people have an email address that is associated with the workplace. This email address should be strictly limited to work related communications and should not be used for personal correspondence. There are many free services available for creating a personal email address that can be used for personal correspondence. If you want to stay in touch with friends, family or classmates, use your personal email address. If you want to share jokes, keep it outside of work. If you want to use an email for registrations, updates or informational newsletters, then use a personal email address. Your personal email address can go places that your work assigned email address can not go, like your next job for example.
Maintaining separate email accounts will help schedule time by maintaining a clear delineation between time at work and personal time. Keeping a personal email address out of the workplace will help to keep your personal life just that - personal. There also may be observations, jokes or comments that you want to share that may not be appropriate for a work related email account. Remember that everything that you send through a company email server is typically stored or archived, and that makes it available long after you deleted it from your own computer. Email correspondence is a favorite target for courtroom entertainment, and a single sentence taken out of context can be devastating. So use the work related email for professional communication and keep the personal correspondence on the side.
Folders and Archives
There are many useful ways to organize the incoming emails. Some individuals prefer to file email by the sender of the email. This makes it easy to locate historical email if you can remember who sent it to you. Some email tools also have functions to immediately sort and store incoming email by the sender. Keep in mind that the email chain may be copied into multiple folders if there are several people copied on the email and participating in a chain of updates.
An alternative method of organizing email is to file according to topic. This is a manual process that requires thought and manual effort. It can be useful if there are many individuals associated with an organization or event that you want to manage as a group.
Another useful tool for organizing email is to create monthly folders for temporarily holding emails that you intend to delete. Start at the beginning of each month by creating a folder or directory for holding email that has been read and is intended to be discarded. The directory may be a place to put email that is not intended to be preserved for historical reference, but might be handy to keep around in case it is needed. Continue making a new directory at the beginning of the following month, and the one after that. Once you have collected three months worth of email in three separate folders, then each time that you create a new folder at the beginning of one month, you can delete the folder that is ninety days old. For example, once you have accumulated folders for January, February and March, you might consider deleting or archiving all of the email associated with the January folder when starting April. This is a simple and easy way to manage archiving email on a scheduled basis.
Keep Your In Box Empty
Organize your priorities, file email by person or topic, and archive monthly. If there are still unresolved emails that need to be addressed, then create another directory labeled HOT or PRIORITY for follow-up. Move outstanding or unresolved email into that category for future follow-up and get it out of the general in box. This makes it much easier to manage the new incoming communications clearly and effectively. Clearing out the In Box will also help to reduce stress. Leaving unresolved email in the general In Box is sometimes perceived as a convenient reminder or 'to do' list. Why torture yourself with a constant nagging 'to do' list of things that you can not resolve immediately? Move it out of the way until you can resolve it and eliminate the distraction.
Schedule Time
Brace yourself, this observation may come as a bit of a shock, "email is not intended to be a conversation". Email is not a tool for real time communication. Email is not instant messaging. Email is not in person and it is not a phone call. Email is not an effective tool for carrying on real time interactive discourse. If there is an emergency, consider other methods of communication. If there is a need for continual clarification or interaction then consider another form of communication. If the email dialogue has been reduced to a conversation then the tool is managing you.
Create a schedule for checking email. Stick with your schedule and some amazing things will happen. The first amazing thing is that some email chains will resolve themselves before you become an active participant. Just because a group of people participated in a real time email communication, it does not mean that you have to do the same. Wait for the activity to subside and you may be able to catch up on the whole chain of communications by reading one long string, as opposed to being constantly interrupted by multiple other comments as they are added to the pile. It is easier to read the chain all at once rather than sporadically as it develops throughout the day.
The second amazing thing that will happen if you stick to your schedule is that other people will come to recognize and accommodate your schedule. If you are a morning person then people will come to expect your replies in the morning. If you check emails at night because you travel or have meetings during the day, then people will come to expect your response the following day. If you schedule your email periodically at certain times during the day, then people will get to know your routine and will anticipate your replies accordingly. Not surprisingly, it means that people will also adjust the times that they send the email to you. Overall, handling email in scheduled blocks of time is useful for organizing schedules for the sender and the recipient. It allows you to give your full focus on the conversation or activity of the moment will full confidence that you will see your email at a scheduled time, and thereby reduce distractions all around.
Functional versus Conversational
Do you ever find yourself sitting at your computer and waiting for the next email to arrive? Do you respond to every pop-up message alert? If so, then you are addicted to email conversations and need to break yourself of the habit. There is a much better life waiting for you, complete with sunshine and fresh air. Email is intended to be a functional tool. It is useful for communicating to large groups of people simultaneously. Email is a good tool for documenting communications. Email is a great way to stay in touch over long distances and extended periods of time. Email is not a tool for real time communication. If you find yourself using a work related email account for conversational email, then consider scheduling time for your personal email account and make the separation for better time management.
Don't Everyone Thank Me at Once!
Positive reinforcement and personal recognition are important for motivation and relationships. If you are compelled to respond to an email correspondence with a 'Thank you', then send it to one person. If the accomplishment or contribution is so outstanding that it is worthy of informing a large group of people or the entire company, then take the time to document with detail the effort and result that is being appreciated. A simple "thank you" between two individuals is fine. Copying a multitude of people on the simple expression of appreciation is not necessary. If it is important enough to copy everyone on a personal 'thank you', then it is worth taking the time to write more.
Be Explicit or Be Brief
Email can be brief to be effective. For example, a simple response or "yes" or "no" may be sufficient under certain circumstances. If brevity fits the situation, then be brief. On the other hand, sometimes a detailed explanation may be a useful response, especially if there are important nuances or details that may otherwise be overlooked. Adapt your email style to the content, message and the recipient.
Are you getting email from other people who could use some advice to get their email under control? Share some tips with them and see if you get a "Thank you" in return. Who is really reading your email?
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Words of Wisdom
"The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity."- Walt Whitman, Songs of the Open Road
"Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after."- Anne Morrow Lindberg, "Gift from the Sea'
"Electronic communication is an instantaneous and illusory contact that creates a sense of intimacy without the emotional investment that leads to close friendships." - Clifford Toll, "Silicon Snake Oil"
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John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital.
Deal with Time Wasters for Effective Time Management
There are two main categories that time wasters or time bandits can fall under. The first category is self generated internal time wThere are two main categories that time wasters or time bandits can fall under. The first category is self generated internal time wasters. These are the things that you do yourself to waste time and are the easiest to control. The second category are the external time wasters. These are the things other people do to waste your time. This can be more diffucult to control, though it can be controlled with a little bit of effort and ingenuity.
Let's look at the self generated internal time wasters and some possible solutions:
1) The lack of planning and priorities. Many people never get anything accomplished because they don't know where to begin or how to proceed once started. It is important that you keep a weekly schedule. List your priorities in order of importance. If needed, discuss the priorities with your boss or coworkers. Make a schedule that starts at the beginning of each week and incorporates all of your priorities into the schedule with goals for completion dates. List every hour and what you should be working on for that hour. Schedule tight so there is not a lot of time in between projects. Too much time between projects is wasted time.
2) Disorganization. Disorganized people spend way too much time looking for lost items. Keep your office neatly organized and free of clutter. If you can't do this yourself, recruit a friend or hire someone to help you.
3) Procrastination. This is a big time waster. Set a deadline for those projects that you don't want to do. Plan a reward for yourself when finished. Work on the project in small chunks until completed. Sometimes it helps to work on it first thing in the morning to get it out of the way.
The second category of time wasters is the external time wasters. These are not as easy to control since they involve external factors. Here are some solutions to help control or at the very least, keep them to a minimum:
1) Visitors. If you get a lot of visitors dropping to your work area this could be a huge time waster for you. The solution is to move your desk so that your back is to the door. This will make you seem less approachable. When someone stops in to talk, stand up. This will send the message that you don't have time to chat. If all else fails be honest. Tell them thanks for dropping by, but tactfully let them know that you need to get back to work.
2) Telephone calls. Screen your calls. Let the voice mail take your calls during the day when you are busy. Schedule time during each day when you will return the calls and let your clients know when that time will be. Keep your answers short and to the point and end the conversation politely when it has achieved it's purpose. With a little practice you can be personable and still keep the conversation short.
3) Mail. It can flood your desk and take it over before you it. Schedule time each day to go through your mail. Make it a rule to handle each piece of mail only once. Throw out the junk mail immediately, file" information only" mail in a file box to be read later and respond to the others by telephone or fax. Faxing a response is a great idea because the response is immediate and takes very little time.
4) Email. Clean out your email box daily and don't use your business email address for personal use.
Using these solutions, your productivity will increase and your stress level on the job will decrease. The best part is, you can say goodbye to the time bandits forever!asters. These are the things that you do yourself to waste time and are the easiest to control. The second category are the external time wasters. These are the things other people do to waste your time. This can be more diffucult to control, though it can be controlled with a little bit of effort and ingenuity.
Let's look at the self generated internal time wasters and some possible solutions:
1) The lack of planning and priorities. Many people never get anything accomplished because they don't know where to begin or how to proceed once started. It is important that you keep a weekly schedule. List your priorities in order of importance. If needed, discuss the priorities with your boss or coworkers. Make a schedule that starts at the beginning of each week and incorporates all of your priorities into the schedule with goals for completion dates. List every hour and what you should be working on for that hour. Schedule tight so there is not a lot of time in between projects. Too much time between projects is wasted time.
2) Disorganization. Disorganized people spend way too much time looking for lost items. Keep your office neatly organized and free of clutter. If you can't do this yourself, recruit a friend or hire someone to help you.
3) Procrastination. This is a big time waster. Set a deadline for those projects that you don't want to do. Plan a reward for yourself when finished. Work on the project in small chunks until completed. Sometimes it helps to work on it first thing in the morning to get it out of the way.
The second category of time wasters is the external time wasters. These are not as easy to control since they involve external factors. Here are some solutions to help control or at the very least, keep them to a minimum:
1) Visitors. If you get a lot of visitors dropping to your work area this could be a huge time waster for you. The solution is to move your desk so that your back is to the door. This will make you seem less approachable. When someone stops in to talk, stand up. This will send the message that you don't have time to chat. If all else fails be honest. Tell them thanks for dropping by, but tactfully let them know that you need to get back to work.
2) Telephone calls. Screen your calls. Let the voice mail take your calls during the day when you are busy. Schedule time during each day when you will return the calls and let your clients know when that time will be. Keep your answers short and to the point and end the conversation politely when it has achieved it's purpose. With a little practice you can be personable and still keep the conversation short.
3) Mail. It can flood your desk and take it over before you it. Schedule time each day to go through your mail. Make it a rule to handle each piece of mail only once. Throw out the junk mail immediately, file" information only" mail in a file box to be read later and respond to the others by telephone or fax. Faxing a response is a great idea because the response is immediate and takes very little time.
4) Email. Clean out your email box daily and don't use your business email address for personal use.
Using these solutions, your productivity will increase and your stress level on the job will decrease. The best part is, you can say goodbye to the time bandits forever!
Let's look at the self generated internal time wasters and some possible solutions:
1) The lack of planning and priorities. Many people never get anything accomplished because they don't know where to begin or how to proceed once started. It is important that you keep a weekly schedule. List your priorities in order of importance. If needed, discuss the priorities with your boss or coworkers. Make a schedule that starts at the beginning of each week and incorporates all of your priorities into the schedule with goals for completion dates. List every hour and what you should be working on for that hour. Schedule tight so there is not a lot of time in between projects. Too much time between projects is wasted time.
2) Disorganization. Disorganized people spend way too much time looking for lost items. Keep your office neatly organized and free of clutter. If you can't do this yourself, recruit a friend or hire someone to help you.
3) Procrastination. This is a big time waster. Set a deadline for those projects that you don't want to do. Plan a reward for yourself when finished. Work on the project in small chunks until completed. Sometimes it helps to work on it first thing in the morning to get it out of the way.
The second category of time wasters is the external time wasters. These are not as easy to control since they involve external factors. Here are some solutions to help control or at the very least, keep them to a minimum:
1) Visitors. If you get a lot of visitors dropping to your work area this could be a huge time waster for you. The solution is to move your desk so that your back is to the door. This will make you seem less approachable. When someone stops in to talk, stand up. This will send the message that you don't have time to chat. If all else fails be honest. Tell them thanks for dropping by, but tactfully let them know that you need to get back to work.
2) Telephone calls. Screen your calls. Let the voice mail take your calls during the day when you are busy. Schedule time during each day when you will return the calls and let your clients know when that time will be. Keep your answers short and to the point and end the conversation politely when it has achieved it's purpose. With a little practice you can be personable and still keep the conversation short.
3) Mail. It can flood your desk and take it over before you it. Schedule time each day to go through your mail. Make it a rule to handle each piece of mail only once. Throw out the junk mail immediately, file" information only" mail in a file box to be read later and respond to the others by telephone or fax. Faxing a response is a great idea because the response is immediate and takes very little time.
4) Email. Clean out your email box daily and don't use your business email address for personal use.
Using these solutions, your productivity will increase and your stress level on the job will decrease. The best part is, you can say goodbye to the time bandits forever!asters. These are the things that you do yourself to waste time and are the easiest to control. The second category are the external time wasters. These are the things other people do to waste your time. This can be more diffucult to control, though it can be controlled with a little bit of effort and ingenuity.
Let's look at the self generated internal time wasters and some possible solutions:
1) The lack of planning and priorities. Many people never get anything accomplished because they don't know where to begin or how to proceed once started. It is important that you keep a weekly schedule. List your priorities in order of importance. If needed, discuss the priorities with your boss or coworkers. Make a schedule that starts at the beginning of each week and incorporates all of your priorities into the schedule with goals for completion dates. List every hour and what you should be working on for that hour. Schedule tight so there is not a lot of time in between projects. Too much time between projects is wasted time.
2) Disorganization. Disorganized people spend way too much time looking for lost items. Keep your office neatly organized and free of clutter. If you can't do this yourself, recruit a friend or hire someone to help you.
3) Procrastination. This is a big time waster. Set a deadline for those projects that you don't want to do. Plan a reward for yourself when finished. Work on the project in small chunks until completed. Sometimes it helps to work on it first thing in the morning to get it out of the way.
The second category of time wasters is the external time wasters. These are not as easy to control since they involve external factors. Here are some solutions to help control or at the very least, keep them to a minimum:
1) Visitors. If you get a lot of visitors dropping to your work area this could be a huge time waster for you. The solution is to move your desk so that your back is to the door. This will make you seem less approachable. When someone stops in to talk, stand up. This will send the message that you don't have time to chat. If all else fails be honest. Tell them thanks for dropping by, but tactfully let them know that you need to get back to work.
2) Telephone calls. Screen your calls. Let the voice mail take your calls during the day when you are busy. Schedule time during each day when you will return the calls and let your clients know when that time will be. Keep your answers short and to the point and end the conversation politely when it has achieved it's purpose. With a little practice you can be personable and still keep the conversation short.
3) Mail. It can flood your desk and take it over before you it. Schedule time each day to go through your mail. Make it a rule to handle each piece of mail only once. Throw out the junk mail immediately, file" information only" mail in a file box to be read later and respond to the others by telephone or fax. Faxing a response is a great idea because the response is immediate and takes very little time.
4) Email. Clean out your email box daily and don't use your business email address for personal use.
Using these solutions, your productivity will increase and your stress level on the job will decrease. The best part is, you can say goodbye to the time bandits forever!
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