Hi Jennifer, Face to face is always the best . There is no substitute for reading people and their responses.The second best thing however , is IM. Our Company has an interoffice IM system that can save a lot of time .Have you ever walked a 5 minute walk from one building to another to talk to someone who you couldnt reach on the phone but you knew you had to get a hold of them? You walk there and you find out they arent there and now you have wasted minimally 15 minutes and are still no closer to the answer you needed.I have done this and although i know exercize is good, it still acomplishes nothing . IM is great because our system has a color coded dot system that tells me if they are active ,away , in a meeting or just plain offline.When IM is used , it is quicker and more personal than email. Time Saver for sure , wouldnt you agree...
I choose face to face when it is faster to resolve the issue with a quick discussion or when there is confusion.
Michael,
Not ever chatting with co-workers can lead to negative opinions of us by others. Some chatting is expected and needed. It is when folks chat to the point that it disturbs others or keeps someone from getting things done that it becomes an issue. It sounds like you have it in perspective.
Most of the time I'm pretty good about keeping chatting with co workers to a minimum but I feel like it keeps me sane when I'm busy doing all my work. Even if it's a simple "hey how are you?".
Jeremy,
Email is probably the most common time waster identified in these posts. Many folks have found that they have to close Outlook to keep from reacting every time am email arrives.
My biggest time waster is email...I feel the need to constantly check my email. I really am trying now to only check it once an hour, which I think is appropriate given the amount of work that I conduct online.
Thanks, Hermie.
How do you prevent making these "assumptions" that do not work out?
Making assumptions is a big time-waster. There are times when I want the task done right away, I assume. More often than not, I end up going back redoing the same task. Not working smart but hard.
Adalinda,
Thank you for this post. What are a few specific causes of your procrastination? What are some specific things you plan on doing to lessen the impact of procrastination on your ability to manage time?
Procrastination is one of the biggest or better said the biggest time wasters that I am guilty of, however now that I understand some on the causes for procrastination I plan on pinpointing my specific problem to resolve it using some of the antidotes provided in the time management course.
Thanks, Joy.
The technique you describe (notebook) is one that is often suggested for folks who cannot sleep becasue they are thinking about work. The notebook on the nightstand allows folks to write down things they want to remember. They can then forget about them and go to sleep knowing they will be able to work on the problem the next day.
Thanks for sharing this, Joy.
It sounds like you are handling the distractions well.
Another time waster I have is chatting with co-workers. The problem is at its worst when my boss is out of the office. I think that people truly like to chat with me but are discouraged from doing so because my office is right next to my boss's office, who is one of the highest managers in the company. When he is not in, people often come to my office to discuss many non-work related items. The best way I have found to get them to leave is to work into the conversation how much extra work I have to do since my boss is not in. They usually take the hint. :)
One of my time wasters is quite the opposite of what is discussed in this course. Instead of my work-life bleeding into my personal life, I find my personal life often bleeds into my work-life. I am often distracted at work by thoughts of my personal life, e.g. things I have to look up, checking personal email, online banking, reading blogs. I found that the best way to combat this is to keep a notebook on my desk where I jot down any personal items that pop into my head. The fact that I can write it down allows my brain to let go of it because I know it will not be forgotten because it is on paper for me to revisit either on my lunch break or after work.
Usually I start working on my project while they are talking and if they don't the picture I tell them I need to finish the project. Alot of the time working while they are talking gives them the idea that I am busy.
Douglas,
Thanks for sharing this. Many experts recommend techniques similar to what you describe regaring email. They do not all have to be answered immediately.
I have found that turning Outlook off while i am working on a project really helps. Like many folks, I get distacted when new emails come in.
I make sure I check it every 90 minutes or so, just before I get a coffee.
Bela,
How do you get your co-workers to leave so that you can get down to work?
I believe email can be the bane of one's existence along with cell phone calls. I allocate the first 1/2 hour each day to respond to relevant emails and return necessary calls as well as the last 1/2 hour or when I am in transit to minimize the need to take away from obvious productive time at the office. I also utilize prioritization in my responses back based somewhat on the A/B/C criteria in this course notation.
This action is relatively new in the last year or so. Prior to that I was a horrible offender, especially with email...everything had to be done immediately. Only upon analysis did I realize how much time I really was wasting.
my personal time waster is talking to my colleagues. I feel I accomplish alot when I am just focussed on my work instead of chatting.
I will send out e-mail that unless a problem with student comes up, I will not be available for a couple of hours daily.I will keep the time while they are in class as not to hunt anyone's feelings.
