I'm the Day-Timers community expert on productivity. So I asked them to put a brief survey on the Day-Timers Web site, asking, “When you think of something that you need to do, what do you usually do?” In this day and age of technology, the surprising answer was overwhelmingly “Write it down.” To date, 55% of respondents chose this option over others. This demonstrates that even with Blackberries, Outlook, cell phones and web based to-do lists, we still need and use paper and planners. Picture this…you’ve dutifully put all of your information, appointments, phone numbers etc. into your Outlook and synced the information with your handy-dandy Blackberry. All is well. You hop on a plane for a business trip, Blackberry in hand. You’ve arrived at the Miami airport and whipped … [Read more...]
Would you rather vacation with your spouse or your Blackberry?
People love their Blackberries, no doubt. A recent study confirmed this, according to an article on WCBSTV.com. They may be terrific productivity tools for some, but at what cost? The article by Scott Rapoport states “The study of 6,500 traveling executives says 35 percent of them would choose their PDA over their spouse.” Wait a minute – people would choose a communication device over a loved one? If this is true, where have we gone wrong? It is important to keep track of your business, be connected to your co-workers, clients and employers. Blackberries certainly have made this easier, particularly for those who don’t spend most of their time in the office. With this easy connectivity, are people losing the ability to know when to turn it off? It would seem that technology … [Read more...]
No Email Days?
Would you be more productive by taking a day off each week from emails? Some companies have tried to implement no-email days and have received mixed feedback. This story from ABC News tells of co-workers who discovered that they were across the hall from one another rather than across the country. It takes time to adjust, but taking a break from email can actually boost productivity and enhance your business relationships. While it may seem quicker to dash off an email, taking the time to pick up the phone to contact a client or walk down the hall to see a co-worker personalizes the contact. In this era of “crackberry” communication, it seems like a rare thing to have actual conversations with people. What would your office be like if everyone took the day off from email and just … [Read more...]
Organizing Your Blog Reading
There are many terrific blogs on the Web that I enjoy reading. However, it's easy to waste a lot of time book marking each individual blog in your “favorites,” and then visiting each one individually when you have time to do some reading. It can be even worse if you have numerous email subscriptions clogging up your inbox. When you have more than just a few blogs you like to read, make it easy on yourself and try a free, simple solution like Google Reader. Google Reader allows you to organize your favorite blogs and read them all in one place. When you subscribe to the RSS feed of a blog, instead of opting to receive emails, select Google Reader as your method of delivery. You can organize your feeds into folders much like your favorites or bookmarks in your browser. That way you can … [Read more...]
Married Parents Use of Time 2003-2006
A recent article in the June/July edition of Working Mother magazine pointed out that “Men contribute more to household work and child care than they did 45 years ago – by a large margin.” While this may be true, a recent study, Married Parents’ Use of Time, 2003-06, posted by the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that there is still a gap. The study shows that married fathers spend an hour more at work than married mothers on average. Married mothers had increased likelihood of providing care to the family’s children than married fathers by 21%. On an average day, married mothers working full time are 25% more likely to spend time on household activities like cooking, yard care and cleaning than the married fathers working full time. There is also … [Read more...]
Time Keeps on Ticking: Log it!
We’ve all been there at some point—you look back on the week or the month—feeling that too much has been left undone. You say to yourself, “Where did the time go?” It’s a common lament. If this sounds like you, it might be useful to try a time log for a week to discover your patterns. Time logs can help uncover wasted time that can be turned into productive time. They can also show you when you tend to be most productive, so you can organize your days to take full advantage of those productive times. You’ll quickly so who is interrupting you the most. You’ll discover your bad habits and see where you let pleasurable activities take over high-priority tasks. There are numerous logging software tools available for download on the internet. These can be useful for those who spend their … [Read more...]
Getting Rid of Computer Clutter
When was the last time you de-cluttered your computer? Our computer desktops can become just as messy as our physical desks if we let them. When computers are bogged down with out of date or useless information their performance suffers – and so can yours as you slog through your hard drive trying to find the documents you need. The recycle bin on your computer is your friend – use it! Your computer filing system should resemble physical filing system as much as possible in order to easily retrieve documents. If you’re like many people, when you create documents or download documents from email or the Internet, you allow the document to be filed in the default location and leave it at that. This can leave your My Documents folder or your Desktop in a state of confusion and … [Read more...]
Staying Productive During Back to School Time
It’s back to school time! With three kids in elementary and middle school, this is a New Year of sorts for parents. Here are some tips to help you stay sane and productive: Back-to-the-Future. The first step in moving forward with back-to-school resolutions is to take a look back. What were the situations from the previous school year that could use improvement? Did your child often miss the bus? Did they have a hard time making the honor roll or even passing grades? Was everyone too busy to sit down for dinner together? Once you figure out what areas need improvement, it will help set goals for the upcoming year. Talk to your children. Whether your school-age children are in elementary school or high school, talk to them about areas they would like to see change, both personally and … [Read more...]
Best Practices for Scheduling Your Day and Setting Appointments Part III of III
21. Journal your meeting notes. Many people don’t know how to use the Journal feature in Outlook or even what it’s for! If you’ve ever accidentally clicked it, you’ll get a pop-up box that asks you if you’re SURE you want to turn on the Journal. Most people freak out and click NO. Next time, click yes. Open a new Journal entry, type up your meeting notes, put in the day/time of the meeting, indicate in the Contacts field who was at the meeting, and select a Category for the meeting name or project. When you select that Contact and click the Activities tab, you’ll be able to see the Journal entries (notes) from every meeting you’ve ever had with that person. You can also pull up your Journal entries by Category to review meeting notes as far back as you’d like. OR give your notes to … [Read more...]
Best Practices for Scheduling Your Day and Setting Appointments Part II of III
11. Keep your calendar up to date. It’s frustrating when your colleagues are trying to set up appointments, and it appears that you’re open, so they send out a meeting request to a large group. You respond, “Sorry, I have a conflict on that day/time,” to which they respond by banging their heads on the desk in frustration, asking, “Then WHY didn’t you have it on your calendar?” Truly, if an organization is going to predictably use shared calendaring to coordinate meetings, you must keep yours current. It’s fine to use a traditional paper method as well, but if you schedule something on your “other” calendar, make sure to update your electronic one at regular intervals as well. 12. Include travel time in a single appointment and put the actual meeting time in the subject. If your … [Read more...]
