I'm reading an article by David Javitch at MSNBC who suggests that dealing with bored employees is a management problem and should be handled through accurate job descriptions and job enlargement. Although I believe he presents some valid points, he doesn't look at the subject from a personal productivity standpoint. This should be a two-pronged attack, as there is a LOT an individual can do to take the initiative and work productively despite boredom. For example, I don’t like entering credit card receipts into QuickBooks. It would be really easy for it to stack up for a month. When it comes time to pay bills and balance the books, I can suddenly discover five or six other urgent things requiring my attention. Unfortunately, not all of our jobs thrill us. Even tedious, boring tasks … [Read more...]
What is the best time management system?
Everyone has a different time management system, a way of tracking appointments and to-dos. Some use paper systems; some use electronic; and some use a combination of the two (what I call “hybrid” methods).I’m frequently asked what time management system is best. The simple answer is there is no “correct” time management system. You must always ask yourself how your system is working for you. I can say, however, that whatever time management system you end up using, you need to make sure it meets the HUG criteria: H—Handy: I call people who don’t keep their time management systems handy “scrappers.” They are easily identifiable by all the little scraps of paper everywhere: envelopes, sticky notes, even matchbook covers. That’s because they don’t carry their system with them to … [Read more...]
Create a list of important papers
In helping my grandparents get their papers in order recently, we had to search for some important items, and they couldn't put their hands on some things right away. In the event of a death or a disaster in your life, would your loved ones be able to help you or make the proper arrangements? I recommend you sit down and spend some time typing out a list of all your important information, numbers, contact information, locations, passwords, etc., and keep it in a lockbox or fireproof safe, or give a copy to a trusted family member...just in case. I got you started with a template at https://theproductivitypro.com/PDFs/Important_papers.pdf. Don't put it off! … [Read more...]
Planning and scheduling your day
Here it is! You've been asking me for a way of scheduling your day realistically and making sure you can get your high-priority tasks done with the amount of controllable time available. Your time is probably very fragmented, and much of it is uncontrollable. The best starting place to improve your use of time is to determine the extent to which you control the time available to you. No one has total control over a daily schedule. Someone or something will always make demands on you. But nearly everyone has more control over their time than they realize. Even during structured “working hours,” there are opportunities to select which tasks or activities to handle. Most people have about 2.5 hours discretionary time. The goal is to control 25-50% of your day. Hopefully, the ideas … [Read more...]
Test drive Microsoft Office 2007
http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/beta/testdrive.mspx?showIntro=n Just for my readers...a FREE test drive of the new Microsoft Office 2007! This is BETA, but you are live in the applications. Test the new versions of Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and many more! The tutorials provide lots of new ways to work in Office 2007. You can explore the new versions of Office in this fully functional Test Drive environment. Try this before downloading the new beta versions to your computer. Most other support applications like ACT or Quickbooks aren't ready for 2007, and you don't want to hose your mission-critical business systems. So try it---no risk---in your browser instead. … [Read more...]
The American Time Use Survey released 2005 data today
Great news! The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) 2005 results were just announced today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Check out the BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/tus/home.htm. The public use data files and data dictionaries are also available for downloading from the same website. For those of you who are paying attention, I haven't posted in a while...thanks for your notes...yes, I've been on vacation! But I've been doing a lot of reading, so watch for a slew of postings in the next few days. … [Read more...]
Time Log Activity
If you ever come to the end of the work day, throw up your hands, and exclaim "What happened?!!" you might need to get a grip on your time. But it's hard to make adjustments in your time management behaviors if you don't know where the time even went. If your days go by in a blur, and you don't feel you've accomplished anything significant, you might want to track your time. I've placed a time log template, instructions, and analysis directions on my site at https://theproductivitypro.com/FreeStuff/Time_Log.doc. Perhaps with a little data, you can tweak your routines and see some improvement. … [Read more...]
Setting up a reference filing system for your home
I'm often asked about my personal organization at home, usually around where I keep paperwork, how to organize it, what to call the files, how long to keep it, etc. So I've typed up an outline of my personal filing cabinet at my house, so you can get a sense of how it's laid out. I file by groups of files, not by A-Z. So each title in CAPITAL letters on the left is the name of the category, and the indented names are filed behind that. It's https://theproductivitypro.com/pdfs/reference_file_system.pdf. Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Paper versus electronic time management systems
If you want to test out whether you are more of a "paper" person or an "electronic" person, I have a test at https://theproductivitypro.com/FreeStuff/TEST_paperORelectronic.xlt that will run a macro and give you a score and a recommendation. … [Read more...]
Productivity Boost Using Three Screens Per Worker
I'm mulling about my monitor. I was reading an article at online.wsj.com/articles/talking_tech about a research study done by Microsoft's Center for Information Work, which looks at the way office workers use computers. They found that with three monitors per worker, productivity jumped NINE PERCENT. That's unreal. Nine percent might not seem like a lot to you, but it's getting to the point where it's really hard to squeeze a few extra productivity points out of workers, so that's a very large amount. When you look at the stock market trading floor, you see multiple monitors everywhere---that group has already realized it's required to see all that information. Perhaps I wouldn't have three monitors, but I'm seriously considering adding a second. It … [Read more...]
