Bureaucrats, Administrators, vuser
40,397
edits
Changes
fix format
== Personal Accountability ==
== Personal Accountability ==
Just after graduating from college, the first full-time job I got was as an administrative assistant for a higher education institution. Although I was not passionate about the work itself, I gave it my best effort. It paid the bills during our first four years of marriage while my husband was in medical school.
Just after graduating from college, the first full-time job I got was as an administrative assistant for a higher education institution. Although I was not passionate about the work itself, I gave it my best effort. It paid the bills during our first four years of marriage while my husband was in medical school.
Instead of blaming, complaining and spending energy trying to deflect additional work, Carol had asked the QBQ: What can I do? Then she designed her own solutions and took action. She took personal accountability rather than becoming a victim. And Carol did what she did because she chose to, not because she had to. Remember to check your self-talk: I should…, I gotta…, and I have to… represent victim language; I choose to… is empowering and builds on personal accountability.
Instead of blaming, complaining and spending energy trying to deflect additional work, Carol had asked the QBQ: What can I do? Then she designed her own solutions and took action. She took personal accountability rather than becoming a victim. And Carol did what she did because she chose to, not because she had to. Remember to check your self-talk: I should…, I gotta…, and I have to… represent victim language; I choose to… is empowering and builds on personal accountability.
----
{{OMG728}}
{{OMG728}}
Here are 8 tips to help you with the mental part of getting and staying organized. I encourage you to read through the whole list, and then go back and choose two or three ideas to implement.
Here are 8 tips to help you with the mental part of getting and staying organized. I encourage you to read through the whole list, and then go back and choose two or three ideas to implement.
1. Understand the difference between URGENT and IMPORTANT. If it’s important, it may be a vital priority for you. If it’s urgent, it’s time-sensitive, but it may or may not be important. Be sure you are clear about the difference when deciding what deserves your time. Check out the time management matrix at http://www.orgcoach.net/timematrix.html, which beautifully illustrates the difference.
'''1. Understand the difference between URGENT and IMPORTANT.''' If it’s important, it may be a vital priority for you. If it’s urgent, it’s time-sensitive, but it may or may not be important. Be sure you are clear about the difference when deciding what deserves your time. Check out the time management matrix at http://www.orgcoach.net/timematrix.html, which beautifully illustrates the difference.
2. Find time for yourself. Schedule time away from your work and your family. Use this opportunity to tune in to what you want and need. Don't feel that you're being selfish; you have a responsibility to yourself to take care of your needs. Studies show that productivity dramatically increases when you are well rested.
'''2. Find time for yourself.''' Schedule time away from your work and your family. Use this opportunity to tune in to what you want and need. Don't feel that you're being selfish; you have a responsibility to yourself to take care of your needs. Studies show that productivity dramatically increases when you are well rested.
3. Check for balance between these four vital areas of your life:
'''3. Check for balance between these four vital areas of your life:'''
* Well-being -- caring for your physical, mental, spiritual, and social needs
* Well-being -- caring for your physical, mental, spiritual, and social needs
* Service activities -- volunteer work, being a good neighbor, practicing random acts of kindness
* Service activities -- volunteer work, being a good neighbor, practicing random acts of kindness
4. Live your life in the present! Quit saying, “I’ll do this when I get around to it.” I have yet to find a person who said on their death bed, “I wish I had spent more time at the office.”
'''4. Live your life in the present!''' Quit saying, “I’ll do this when I get around to it.” I have yet to find a person who said on their death bed, “I wish I had spent more time at the office.”
5. Increase productivity by planning your week and fine-tuning your workday. Block out time to handle priorities. Important tips to remember as you plan your week:
'''5. Increase productivity by planning your week and fine-tuning your workday.''' Block out time to handle priorities. Important tips to remember as you plan your week:
* Have unscheduled time in your calendar for handling unexpected but important tasks.
* Have unscheduled time in your calendar for handling unexpected but important tasks.
* Leave work at a reasonable hour so you have time for those other three areas of your life – self-care, family, and service to others.
* Leave work at a reasonable hour so you have time for those other three areas of your life – self-care, family, and service to others.
6. Reduce your stress by being underwhelmed. Here are a few tips to help you avoid getting overwhelmed:
'''6. Reduce your stress by being underwhelmed.''' Here are a few tips to help you avoid getting overwhelmed:
* NO is a complete sentence. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. When someone makes a request, buy some time before answering. Say, "Let me think about it," or "I’m in the middle of something right now. I'll call you back and let you know." This will give you time to evaluate the situation and decide if it's something you truly want to do.
* NO is a complete sentence. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. When someone makes a request, buy some time before answering. Say, "Let me think about it," or "I’m in the middle of something right now. I'll call you back and let you know." This will give you time to evaluate the situation and decide if it's something you truly want to do.
* Delegate as much as you can. Focus your time on activities that you enjoy and are best at.
* Delegate as much as you can. Focus your time on activities that you enjoy and are best at.
7. Stay out of e-mail jail. Here are a few tips to help:
'''7. Stay out of e-mail jail.''' Here are a few tips to help:
* Determine frequency of checking for e-mail messages. Some people choose to check it throughout the day and even use such devices as the Blackberry when on the road, while others only check for messages a couple times a day. You are the only one who can determine what will work for you.
* Determine frequency of checking for e-mail messages. Some people choose to check it throughout the day and even use such devices as the Blackberry when on the road, while others only check for messages a couple times a day. You are the only one who can determine what will work for you.
* Remove your name from subscription lists that do not provide value to you.
* Remove your name from subscription lists that do not provide value to you.
8. Set up your work environment to keep your focus on what’s most important. Here are some tips:
'''8. Set up your work environment to keep your focus on what’s most important.''' Here are some tips:
* Arrange your workspace so you have the most commonly-used things close in. Store things used less frequently in less accessible space.
* Arrange your workspace so you have the most commonly-used things close in. Store things used less frequently in less accessible space.
* Keep only what you plan to focus on today on your desktop. Remove visual distractions from your workspace so your attention is not pulled away from what you’ve chosen to work on today! Everything else should be put away until it’s time for you to focus on it.
* Keep only what you plan to focus on today on your desktop. Remove visual distractions from your workspace so your attention is not pulled away from what you’ve chosen to work on today! Everything else should be put away until it’s time for you to focus on it.
----
{{OMG728}}
== Information Overload ==
== Information Overload ==
"One of the effects of living with electronic information is that we live habitually in a state of information overload. There’s always more than you can cope with.” -Marshall McLuhan
Surveys show that people's stress levels are at an all-time high, and a major source of that stress is information overload. How are you managing the barrage of information you receive daily?
Over the past twenty years, technology and downsizing have joined forces to turn office space into a dumping ground for information. Computer manufacturers promised us paperless offices back in the 1980s, and yet a decade later paper production had doubled!
'''Information comes to us in four primary ways:'''
* Paper
* Electronic (e-mail, web links, etc.)
* Spoken (in person or recorded messages)
* Thoughts in your head
What typically happens when you sit down at your desk and are overwhelmed with where to begin?
You could start with your e-mail… or perhaps with the verbal message your assistant gave you on your way to the office. But then…how about that overflowing "In Box" you haven't looked at for days? Or what about getting started on the brilliant idea you had on your way into work this morning?
How can you possibly figure out what is most important to focus on right now? Having clarity about your priorities is critical as you wade through the maze of choices that compete for your time.
'''The Four D’s'''
There are only 4 possible choices for what to do with information. I call it the Four D’s:
* Do it now.
* Defer it for later – file it for action or future reference.
* Delegate it to someone else.
* Dump / delete -- don’t do it.
Let's look at each option more closely:
'''DO IT NOW!'''
Ask yourself: "Is this the BEST use of my time right now?" When you do weekly planning, you can plan ahead and block out time to tend to your most important activities. (Yes, that's right...you can make an appointment with yourself to focus on your most important activities or tasks!)
'''DEFER IT FOR LATER.'''
If you have papers you need to take action on at some point in the future, use a tickler file to help you remember to follow up at the appropriate time. Visit http://www.orgcoach.net/products/ticklerpic.html to see a picture of a good customized tickler system. If the follow-up is an activity, such as a follow-up phone call a month from now, enter a reminder in your calendar so you don't forget.
'''DELEGATE IT.'''
If you are not delegating some of your work, I encourage you to revisit the possibilities. The most productive people in the world are those who spend 80% of their time doing what they do best and love most, while surrounding themselves with people whose talents are complimentary to theirs.
Even if you don’t have the money to delegate tasks to others by hiring help, you may be able to trade services with others.
If you are a small business owner, you probably wear many hats…and some of those hats may not fit very well. Let’s say that you are a great writer, but you really struggle with graphic design and layout. At a recent networking event you overheard a graphic designer say that he wanted to put out a quarterly newsletter but he was not a very good writer. Perhaps you could barter with him for your ongoing graphic needs in exchange for ghostwriting his quarterly newsletters.
A number of my small business owner clients – often cash-poor when in the start-up phase -- have found ways to delegate tasks they were either not good at or did not enjoy, in trade for something that they love doing.
Think outside the box. Identify what you would delegate if you could, and then figure out some creative ways to make it happen!
'''DUMP IT. DON'T DO IT!'''
There's productive power in asking yourself these questions:
* What's the worst possible thing that could happen if I don't have this or don't do this?
* If I toss this now and discover I need it later, can I get it elsewhere?
* Does it have tax or legal implications?
* Will this enhance my life to do or keep?
How often do you complete everything on your “to-do” list? (I call those “do-do” lists – we do this and do that.) I have been invited into many offices as a productivity consultant, and I can tell you that most busy people have multiple do-do lists stashed throughout their offices, cars, briefcases, and homes, in an attempt to try to remember everything.
But how often do you stop to examine if what you’re doing is really the most important thing you can be focused on at the moment? As Stephen Covey, author of First Things First, says: “What does it matter how much we do if what we’re doing isn’t what matters most.”
When you have multiple tasks and to-do lists competing for your time, it can be stressful and difficult to focus on any one activity. Imagine driving through a construction zone on a busy street, where all lanes of traffic must merge together into one lane. The merge can be stressful due to the simultaneous activities requiring attention all around you. But once you’ve transitioned into a single lane of traffic without colliding with another car or hitting a construction cone, stress goes down and confidence goes up.
In the Seattle area, where I live, road construction is going on everywhere. But by the time construction is completed, capacity has already outgrown the new infrastructure and additional cars quickly fill the new lanes. We're back to gridlock by the time the paint is dry! I see some parallels between adding lanes to a highway and creating new paths for transmitting information. Even though we're already bombarded with too much information, we continue to create more every day! Since it's not going away, we've all got to learn to manage information overload. The key to managing overload is to clarify your primary goals and then focus on a few top goals you most want to accomplish in the coming year.
Regardless of what form your information takes – paper, electronic, verbal communications, or an idea in your head – establishing your priorities is the key to working most productively. Without prioritizing information, ideas, and opportunities as they come in, you are at risk for either doing something that is less important while something more important is neglected, or you are at risk of forgetting to handle an important task before the deadline passes.
----
{{OMG728}}
== External Links ==
== External Links ==