Help for Your Office

Computer software

Boxes and cd's everywhere? What to do? Remove all of the software and books from the boxes. Throw the boxes out (or with your recycled cardboard) and dare I say recycle the books? Generally you can find the book information through the "Help" button in the software, or online, so there's no need to clutter your office. Be honest, when was the last time you referred to the book? No, you won't need it. ;-) If you insist on keeping the books, it is rare that you will need to refer to them, so it is worth putting them in a closet or a box.

Put the software CD's into CD books, use a thick marker to date them. If you know when you purchased the software, put that date on them, if not, put today's date on them. If you have floppies throw them out as you can count on them being outdated for your current system and thus useless. Yes, break and then throw the floppies out!

Invest in a computer expert to clean up your hard drive, removing all unneeded or unwanted software. Aren't you feeling better already?

Have you ever come into work bright and sharp, the work at your desk beckons invitingly, you can't wait to get started, and then the day turns to muck? One thing after another claims your attention; the rest of the world is clearly in conspiracy against your productivity, and at the end of the day you collapse into an untidy heap of exhausted humanity.
Yes? Try these strategies:

1. Turn off or divert the phone.
If you must have the phone answered by a real person, divert it to a pager service or another colleague while you attend to important high-concentration tasks.
2. Schedule appointments with yourself for the big tasks.
There's something about a written appointment - it gives you more power to say ' No, I'm sorry, I can't stop.'
3. Either shut the door (if you've got one) or make yourself unavailable in some obvious way. An hour (at least) of uninterrupted time every day would transform the lives and job satisfaction of most people.
4. Email.
Turn off your message notifier. Schedule two or three daily non-prime-time slots for e-mail. A delay of a few hours doesn't matter - email shouldn't be used for time-sensitive matters. If we go there first in the day we run the serious danger of being swallowed up by the addictive world of the Internet. Suddenly the day has vanished and it seems that all we've done is major in minor things.
5. Skim.

If you've been out of your office for any time, skim your waiting mail quickly for peace-of-mind but then get down to the most important work. Unless it really is the most important thing, don't let the new item steal your attention until it's the ' right' time. Benefit - you get to your ' real' work with confidence, knowing exactly what lurks and when you need to do it. Downside - if you always skim and rarely or belatedly come back to complete you'll soon have a Leaning Tower of ' I'll get round to it later' piles all over the desk. Overwhelm becomes the dominant sensation!
6. Chunk types of activity as well as specific tasks.
Chunking focuses the mind. Allocate a piece of time to one task or activity only. For me, now it's writing, soon it will be e-mails, then phone calls. Many people dart like swallows from one activity to another and then wonder why nothing ever seems to get completed.
7. Keep focus
When interruptions come in, decide whether the interruption is of higher importance than what you're working on. If not, put it on your daily list or ' today' action pile and keep going with the present activity.
8. A clear desk
The space in which you work (for many that's around your computer) is your potential interruption zone. Keep it clear of distractions. Items awaiting attention should be slightly or completely behind you, out of eye range. Otherwise, while you work the stacks of ' stuff' nearby wave invisible hands, shouting almost audibly ' Pick me, pick me!' This is a huge and invisible energy drain.
The interruptions never go away, but we can control them.

* Article by Robyn Pearce of www.GettingAGrip.com.

Robyn Pearce CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) is the Time Queen. She mastered her own time challenges and now helps people around the world overcome theirs. She can show you how to transform your time challenges into high productivity and the life balance you desire.

Download her free report "How to Master Time In Only 90 Seconds", a simple yet powerful diagnostic tool to help you identify your key areas for action.
You'll find it at http://www.gettingagrip.com/products/e-books/index.asp. And while you're there, enrol for your free Top Time Tips - practical advice every two weeks.