Maximise your work day
Desperate to get more done at the office? Follow these tips to make the most of your day.
Keep telephone calls to under three minutes and always aim to keep e-mail messages as brief as possible. Avoid phoning people who don't know when to stop talking. Rather e-mail them. Set aside time for e-mails and phone calls early in the morning or late afternoon, when it's quieter. Plan your calls by making a note of what you want to say beforehand.
If you don't want colleagues to hang around at your work station, make sure the coffee machine and extra chairs with comfortable cushions are not near your work area.
Don't work overtime in the evenings. Rather be at your desk an hour earlier in the morning, when your thinking is clear and there are no telephone interruptions or chatty colleagues – you're likely to get much more work done.
Ask friends and colleagues not to forward every joke via e-mail. If you know it's junk, don't even open it.
If someone asks you if you're busy, feel free to reply "yes" or "I've got five minutes to chat" without feeling guilty.
If you do something more than once, it will become your job. Learn to say no or suggest a compromise. If you are asked to arrange a conference when it is not your job, say: "Unfortunately I can't, but it would be a pleasure to arrange the refreshments."
Keep your desk tidy and your filing up to date to avoid hours of searching for things.
Draw up an agenda for every meeting, whether it's going to be long or short, and stick to it.
Arrange meetings to take place immediately before lunch or just before the end of the working day. That will ensure that people waste as little time as possible.
Do you have any time-saving tips to add? Share them in the comment box below?
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