Working From Home – How to be More Productive
Working from home sounds wonderful, but in reality, can be very difficult for people who are not disciplined or organized. If work isn't something you enjoy, just about anything can take your attention away - even doing laundry. So how does one limit distractions and interruptions so they are more productive? Cumming Professional Organizer Dawn McCloskey offers these suggestions:
Limit human interruptions. Create an office that mentally puts you in the right mindset that this is where you work. Working at a dining room table sets the stage for others that you can be interrupted. Being able to close a door visually sends the message to family members that you cannot be interrupted. Remove chairs from the room so people are less likely to stay and chat for long periods of time.
Limit phone calls. Turn the ringer volume down and let calls go to voicemail. Schedule time each day to check and return calls. Set the expectation of the time limit of a call at the beginning by saying, "You just caught me and I only have 60 seconds to talk. What's up?" When they've told you the purpose of the call, end the call with, "Thanks for calling." You can also give them a time limit for now and suggest another time that might be better - this lets the caller choose which option works best for him.
Record phone messages and notes from calls in a planner or spiral-bound notebook. This will keep all your information in one spot and will help you retrieve information at a later date.
Send less email. Sending less email will result in getting less which saves time. You can save up to five days a year by reducing your sent email by 20%. One way to do this: stop sending thank you messages!
Make a decision immediately. When you don't make a decision about how to handle the email immediately - by answering, filing, deleting, or allocating another time to work on a task, you tend to touch email multiple times. This results in lost work time and increases your stress level.
Start your day with a high-priority task for the first 30 minutes. Delay opening your email or returning phone calls. Instead, work on an unpleasant or a high-priority task for the first half-hour. You'll feel energized and may accomplish the task more quickly.
By setting boundaries - verbal, nonverbal and physical - interruptions will be limited and you will get more accomplished each day.
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