Protecting Yourself From Drop-In Interruptions 1. Set up a self-help center. If you have people walking into your office and asking for forms or answers to their questions, create an answer area outside of your office. You could use a document sorter, cabinet, or wall storage. Every time you’re asked for something, stock it in the self-help center. That way the next time someone comes in and asks for that exact same information, you can say, “Absolutely. It’s out there in the self-help center.” And guess what? Pretty soon people start helping themselves, saving you time. 2. Use an understood signal. Use an understood signal with the rest of your team that communicates “I am really up against a deadline right now. I would really prefer not to be interrupted. If there’s an emergency, come … [Read more...]
Free Webinar Sponsored by Day-Timer(R) – SuperCompetent
In partnership with our sponsor, Day-Timer(R), please join Laura Stack for a complimentary webinar based on her newest book, SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best (Wiley, August 9, 2010). https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/178545971 This work culminates Laura's 18 years of studying the art and science of personal productivity and describes the six behaviors high-achieving employees demonstrate over their lower-performing peers. all of us must learn to be competent—and not Simply Competent—but SuperCompetent(R). In this competitive economy, just being able to do your job is no longer enough. Competence is expected; you’ve got to be SuperCompetent(R) to get an edge. Whether you’re an employee, an entrepreneur, a team leader, or all of the above, SuperCompetent … [Read more...]
Time Management: How to Say No Without Saying NO
HOW TO SAY NO WITHOUT SAYING NO: REFUSING REQUESTS WITH TACT AND GRACE 1. Try to negotiate. When someone asks us to do something, when do we assume they mean they need it? We assume they mean now. But that’s not always the case. Instead of doing a task immediately, try to negotiate. Can you extend the deadline a bit? Just ask, “Do you need that today? Or would Monday be okay?” You will often be pleasantly surprised. 2. Simplify. Can you reduce the scope of the task? Asking, “At what level of detail does this need to be done? Does it need to be to the second decimal place or can I just round a little bit?” Find out in advance. 3. Communicate. Simply be honest about what’s on your plate. Saying “Here’s a list of all the things I’m working on in priority order. Where would you say this … [Read more...]
Getting Things Done: Saying No Allows You to Say Yes: Productivity Minute Video
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), discusses how you can get more done by saying "no". (C) 2010 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved. … [Read more...]
Don’t Buy Laura Stack’s New Book!
I'm thrilled to announce the publication of my newest book, SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best (John Wiley & Sons), on August 9, 2010. This work culminates my 18 years of studying the art and science of personal productivity and describes the six behaviors high-achieving employees demonstrate over their lower-performing peers. However, DON'T buy it! Yes, that's right--don't buy it--until August 9. If you purchase the book on August 9 from any online or retail bookstore and forward your receipt to [email protected], you'll receive bonus gifts from several speaking colleagues, such as Mark Sanborn, Roxanne Emmerich, Terri Sjodin, and: · Dianna Booher is providing a free eBook Write to the Point. Dianna Booher teaches you to write clear, … [Read more...]
Office Productivity: Go Over and Above What’s Expected: Become and Indispensible Assistant
GO OVER AND ABOVE WHAT’S EXPECTED: BECOME AN INDISPENSIBLE ASSISTANT 1. Identify tasks you are capable of taking over. Provide a list of tasks to your manager that you believe you are capable of doing. Start with the decisions your manager makes most frequently and repetitively. If she doesn’t like creating PowerPoint presentations or answering her email, maybe that’s something you can pick up for her. Anything she particularly dislikes is a great candidate for you. Doing her expense reports at the end of each trip might be a great way to help out. Take a look at recurring matters that she handles over and over again. Maybe she is a writer and constantly has to post articles to different blogs. You could learn how to do it and take over any time-consuming details. For example, when I … [Read more...]
Time Management: Getting People Out of Your Office Quickly
Getting People Out of Your Office Quickly 1. Always choose to visit a colleague, if given a choice. When scheduling a meeting, you’ll have to decide where to hold the conversation: your office or mine? During a face-to-face conversation, it’s always better to go to them. Why? You can leave! If someone’s in your office in your comfortable guest chair, “feet up,” so to speak, it’s much harder to get them out of your office than to walk yourself out of their office. 2. Be honest. If they say, “Got a minute?” and you don’t, you can say, “Actually, I have my back up against the wall right now on a deadline. If it’s okay with you, can I call you back at 3:00?” And actually let them see you type the appointment in your calendar. They walk out feeling like I have an appointment! It lets them … [Read more...]
Business Productivity: Concentrating On Your Work
CONCENTRATING ON YOUR WORK: MAINTAIN FOCUS IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF DISTRACTION 1. Modify your office set up. Is your office set up for maximum productivity or maximum distraction? Turn away from the door. Block your view with a plant or a computer monitor, so that as people walk by, you are not tempted to look up. If you do, you’ll catch the eye of someone wandering by, and they will strike up a conversation. You can ask for office changes. If you have glass on one side of your office wall, you can ask for blinds to be installed, so you can close them when trying to concentrate. If your cubicle walls are too low or half walls, you can request higher partitions. If you happen to work right outside of the elevators or in a high-traffic area, people might think that you are the receptionist … [Read more...]
SUPERCOMPETENT Key #4: ACCOUNTABILITY
SUPERCOMPETENT™ Key #4: ACCOUNTABILITY This month’s article correlates to the fifth key in my newest book SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best (Wiley), to be released on August 9: ACCOUNTABILITY. EDITOR’S NOTE: Please don’t order my book yet! I’ll soon be announcing a very special BUY day on Amazon and B&N, where ordering will get you hundreds of dollars in free bonus gifts! Accountability recognizes that "the buck stops here." SuperCompetent people mean what they say and say what they mean. They're authentic, and other people know this and appreciate them for it—and also for their refusal to blame others when unforeseen circumstances trip them up. Their intense focus on their values is borne out in their demeanor and their sense of personal … [Read more...]
An Automatic Time Tracker for Professionals
Looking for a better way to keep track of your time, log hours for various clients, or see where time is being wasted? You'll want to check out Chrometa's Automatic Time Tracker. Chrometa automatically records the time while you work — both on and off the PC. You'll discover previously undocumented billable time, save time on billing reconciliation, and improve personal productivity. Once your time is automatically captured, you can categorize your time quickly and easily by client or project. Use smart alerts to remind you to log time away from the PC such as meetings or phone calls. And easily export the data into Microsoft Excel. If you're serious about boosting your personal productivity, and getting paid for every second you work, Chrometa is THE ideal time management … [Read more...]
