Busy, But Not Burdened
Daniel Decker has always thought of himself as a productive worker. He starts his day with a to-do list and a goal sheet. But sometimes Mr. Decker, who works for the Jon Gordon Companies in Jacksonville, Fla., finds himself reaching the end of the day with less done on his to-do list than he had planned. The cause? …the interruption problem – a time-consuming combination of e-mail and phone calls.
“I finally end up staying late, coming by the office on weekends, or just going in at night after my children go to bed so that I can get some uninterrupted time to complete tasks.” Staying late and working longer, a habit more people should kick… The average American wastes more than two hours a day at work, according to a survey released last week by Salary.com, a cost to employers of a whopping $759 billion a year as employees surf the Internet, socialize with colleagues, and conduct personal business.
A survey by Microsoft finds that workers average only three productive days a week… 5 1/2 hours a week in meetings though 70 percent think those meetings are unproductive… also (they) receive an average of 56
e-mail messages a day. “The No. 1 thing that keeps people from being productive is a lack of focus. They don’t know how to prioritize their activities… let their day run them rather than them running their day.” Many say they work 10, 12, or even 14 hours a day, but when their time is tracked they are putting in five hours a day of actual productive work. Simply being busy isn’t being productive. To be productive means doing the things that matter most.
Attacking Bad Habits
* The two-minute rule. If something takes two minutes or less to do, do it right then and there. This cuts down on paper clutter on your desk and helps eliminate the distraction of a full IN box.
* Turn off the audible e-mail “ding” so you don’t feel compelled to open each message when it arrives. Schedule specific times to read e-mail – in the morning, just after lunch, and at the end of the day.
* Caller ID. Don’t answer calls from unfamiliar numbers, let the call roll over to voice mail and deal with it later.
* Interruptions cost a lot of time, not only the time from the actual interruption, but also the time it takes you to get back on track and get your mind back into whatever it is that you were previously doing.
* Unproductive people don’t have their goals set. They aren’t ready for the day when it starts.
* Unproductive people allow others to interrupt them. They get bogged down in trivial, time-wasting details.
* Unproductive people waste time looking for things. They don’t have good filing systems.
* Unproductive people tend to do what they feel like doing, rather than what they should be doing.
* Unproductive people may feel concerned that they will never catch up.
* Unproductive people tend to get easily distracted.
Improving the Workplace
* Higher partitions in offices can help. So can noise-canceling headsets. Some employees find that listening to an iPod with their favorite music improves concentration. Others use white noise machines on their desk.
* Allow people to work at least one day a week at home, recognizing that when we’re at work, there’s a lot of socializing and meetings.
In a survey, one-third of executives said that 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. is the least productive time of day for employees. It’s not how many hours you were in your seat. Just because you’re there, and just because your mouth is moving and your fingers are moving or you’re in your chair, it doesn’t mean you’ve produced.
How to Work Smarter
Time-management experts offer these suggestions for improving productivity:
* Get to work early, before phones start ringing and distractions begin.。
* Keep your desk clear of papers other than those related to your current projects.
* Make lists, but focus on the five most important items.
* Don’t postpone decisions; Deal with papers promptly.
* Avoid “wallpapering” your computer monitor with Post-it notes.
* Leave at the end of the day with all important calls and e-mail answered.
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