Last month I delivered four "Managing Multiple Priorities" presentations and four project management training courses.  Although the audiences were different, participants asked the same question: "How do I get projects and my regular work done?"

The most common complaint I hear these days is that people can't focus. If you have implemented the "Seven Ways to Get More out of Days" tip that I shared in last month's newsletter and still have trouble focusing, you may be letting yourself get distracted by technology. One possible cause is some people's preoccupation with email.  Here are three ways to keep email in its place.

 1)     Have your calendar open all day - not your email.  Email is a huge distractor, but your calendar will keep you focused on what's next.  Choose specific times to check email, so you can have uninterrupted time to work and watch your productivity skyrocket!

2)     Turn off your email notifications, icons, and messages.  Depending upon how many emails you receive, you could be interrupted 100 times a day with pesky distractions.  Turning these notifications off will keep your focus on your task at hand saving you several minutes of mental ramp up time per interruption to return to your prior attention level.

3)     Put your "to do" list on your calendar by scheduling days and time to work on those tasks.  This will also help you prioritize your activities.  Instead of simply feeling busy at work, you'll know exactly what you've accomplished and have a plan for the rest.

Contact us if you're interested in learning more about Time Management.