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...]
The Ten Commandments of cell phone etiquette
I just had a conversation with my assistant about this very issue today. She only works part-time a few hours on Mon, Wed, Fri. When she comes to work, she shares my office, which isn't the best arrangement, but I work from home. My husband John has the second office, so, well, there you have it. Like anyone, she gets personal phone calls at work on her cell phone. I frankly don't really care when people call her. She's very diligent and works hard, so it doesn't bother me that she answers her cell phone. What *does* bother me is having her carry on her personal phone conversations a few feet away from me. She's been working for me for a year and a half now, and I can't believe I haven't said anything so far, but today I had to speak up. She talked with her lawn guy for five … [Read more...]
What are you tolerating today?
I just got fed up. My Treo 600 wasn't connecting to my email server unless it had a really full battery charge. Which wasn't a problem IF I remembered to plug it in every night. Until a few days ago, when I forgot, and I was out and about on appointments and couldn't get my messages. I'd been putting up with this for several weeks, because the battery is internal and can't easily be replaced. So I just bought the new Treo 700p and am so jazzed! I can watch tv, view Web sites easily, use my new bluetooth ear piece, and take really great pictures and videos. Why didn't I do this sooner? Then I started looking around and wondering what else I've been tolerating that's irritating or otherwise slowing me down. My printer! Ugh! … [Read more...]
Creating a productive environment
What do you surround yourself with to make you feel productive? I have an "I love me" wall with degrees, certificates, awards, etc., to remind myself that I am living up to a lot of expectations. I keep a wall calendar to remind me that my job is to keep it full with speaking engagements. I have photos of my family, husband, and children, to remind me that a lot of people are depending upon me. I keep my dog and cat running around in my office to remind me to play. And my newest environmental addition...two Siamese fighting fish (a.k.a. betta fish)...no fancy filtration systems needed. Just watching them swim around on my desk relaxes me and knowing I get to feed them gives me another good reason to look forward to coming to work. The glass … [Read more...]
