How to Be More Productive at Work

You spend 8 plus hours a day at your desk juggling phone calls, emails and correspondences. Yet the stack of paper on your cluttered desk keeps growing taller, you eat more meals at the office than you do at home and you are still barely meeting your deadlines. Find ways to avoid time traps and to improve existing processes to be not only more productive at work, but much less stressed.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Spot time wasters. Common culprits are instant messaging, web surfing, personal phone calls and chitchat with co-workers. The minutes spent on these distractions can become hours of lost time and lost productivity. Set limits on these activities and find ways to politely end conversations.
2. Limit distractions and interruptions. Schedule times to review and respond to mail, email and voice mail. If possible, turn off instant messenger programs and do not answer personal phone calls while you work on other tasks.
3. Organize and prioritize. If you are constantly searching for items on your cluttered desk, set aside time to organize files, tools and equipment. Keep paper and electronic files in labeled folders. On your computer, create shortcuts and favorites to help locate items quickly and easily.
4. Use a single portable calendar to track all meetings, appointments and deadlines.
5. Create a schedule to start and complete a given task and stick to it. Begin and end tasks on time. A daily or weekly "To Do" list can also be a helpful tool to stay on track and stay productive.
6. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses and then budget time and tasks accordingly. It can be helpful to do the tasks that you like the least first, since they may be more time consuming and you are more likely to complete more interesting activities.
7. Write agendas for meetings and stay within the allotted time. Inefficient meetings that go late are a major cause of productivity loss.
8. Write down all key information such as date, time, attendees, agenda items and action items when taking notes. This may save considerable guesswork later. When in doubt, document.
9. Learn to use new and better tools to do your work and invest some time in learning to use existing tools more efficiently.
10. Find a coach or mentor or take a class in time management, organizational techniques and productive business communication.
11. Take breaks. This may seem contradictory when you in swamped. However, "crunch time" is when it is even more important to remain clear and focused. It is easy to make mistakes and when feeling overwhelmed. Actually schedule breaks into your day if necessary. Even a short walk around the building can clear your head and reduce stress, which boosts productivity.

Tips & Warnings

• Respond immediately to voice mail and email whenever possible. Otherwise, flag items for review later. This will keep issues from "falling through the cracks" and resolve the smaller items immediately.
• Consider Six Sigma training and qualification. Six Sigma principles can help improve existing processes and create efficiencies. They can also work on a larger scale within the company to improve common tools and procedures.

Who Can Help:

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