I hope you are doing well this second Monday of December. I’ve been having a jolly time hosting daily webinars that started December 1 as a part of our 12 Days of Christmas this year. Office Dynamics is celebrating this month of giving by presenting free 30-minute webinars for 12 business days in a row. That’s a pretty heavy duty schedule but I’m having a blast. My partner-in-crime, Jasmine Freeman and I are making these webinars educational and festive. Each day we think of something new to surprise our attendees plus give away some great gifts such as on-line learning and conferences on demand. The response from our attendees has been tremendous.
Since this is the busy season I thought I would give you my 10 quick tips from the December 1 webinar.
Ten Ways To Get Control Of Your Day
- Early in the day, clarify your top 5 priorities for the day. Priorities can quickly change from the time you left work until the next morning. Many managers work in the evening and even hold conference calls which can easily change the priorities for the next day.
- Focus on the task at hand. Truly commit to focusing on the current task, email, call, assignment or conversation. You will be so much more productive and less tired at the end of the work day.
- Neutralize information overload. We are bombarded with information. It not only shows up in our email and on our Facebook pages but we seek it out! You do not have to read every single thing or be on Facebook every day.
- Ask others for specific deadlines. By when do they need the work they are assigning you? This will help you place this new task in proper priority with your other duties.
- Recognize the time of day you are most productive. Are you a morning person? Or late morning person? Try to schedule the most challenging or thought-provoking tasks when you are your best. You will move through the assignment much quicker and probably do a better job.
- Search for alternatives; a simpler, faster way. As you go through your day, ask yourself, “How can I streamline this process? How can I get this done faster? Make this easier? Can I delegate this to someone else? Can I totally eliminate this from my to do list?”
- Establish some quiet time throughout the day. You should take 5 – 10 minutes around mid-afternoon to review your work load, regroup in your own mind and reorganize your priorities. Do not feel guilty taking some time for this. You will mentally jump back to work refreshed and feeling like you know where you are heading the rest of the afternoon.
- Delegate (at work and at home). Especially during this busy year-end and holiday season you need to delegate wherever possible. Partners and children at home can certainly jump in. Once again, do not feel guilty for delegating.
- Organize your workspace. This is a great time of year to organize your workspace and digital files. It feels so good to get rid of clutter. You will be ready to go when you start up work in early January.
- Plan ahead. At the end of the day, take a few minutes to plan for your next day. It’s also a good idea on a Friday to look at your upcoming week. What is on your schedule at home and at work? What do you need to do to prepare for that upcoming week? Are there conflicting appointments? Do you need assistance with personal errands? Are you going on vacation and need to put a hold on your newspaper? What will your executive need to be prepared for next week’s meeting?
If you can spare 15 – 30 minutes this week, you may want to jump on one of our webinars and get motivated for your day! Attendees have also told me it’s a great break from their mundane tasks. Register to attend.