Posts Tagged ‘reduce stress’

Complaints of Inaccessible Company Information

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

One of the most common complaints I hear as an office organizer is about information that should be easily accessible and shared, isn’t. There are many reasons for this, but the most common complaint is that there is not a standardized method of filing information of all types. Whether it’s electronic or physical, information that is created by employees is for the use of the company to further the business function of the company. It is not created for that employee alone.

Over the years I’ve heard many employees’ reasons for hoarding company information, especially in a large company. One of the most common is that the creator of the information wants to be able to find it again. They fear that if they place it on the drive that is the company backup drive they will not be able to get back to the information when they need it. Yes, it does happen sometimes that a drive becomes “full” and the info is moved, but more often than not the creator of the info has had a bad experience with losing information and does not want to repeat it. That person is responsible for maintaining the information since they have created it; however it will not benefit the company if that person is not there to retrieve the information when needed.

This is a true story: A few years ago an employer needed information that an employee had created. As a deadline approached, the employee was on a well deserved vacation and was out of cell phone range. (Good for them!) In a panic, thinking the deadline would arrive before the employee returned, the employer called multiple family members to try to locate the employee, which caused much distress for many. When the employer finally reached the employee, he learned that everything needed was ready and that the employee would return well before the deadline arrived. This episode did nothing to improve their working relationship.

In this case, a good search engine and better communication would have relieved the stress for everyone. Of course, moving to the cloud to create and store information would have helped significantly. Fears of lost information on random drives would be relieved and everything needed would be a search bar away. So when you run into these same issues, try making a change to MobilLogic to solve the problem. The people in the story above made the move to the cloud and both are much happier now. I believe you will be also.

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Lee’s Keys © #4

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Prioritize Tasks, Schedule Time, Minimize Stress.

If you have a problem with being on time, try setting your watch ten minutes early to be sure you won’t be late. Act according to the time on the watch not the “real” time. Remember your travel time to and from an appointment and schedule that as well.

One way to reduce stress is to SCHEDULE your workday.

Prioritize your TO DO List, 1-2-3 in order of importance – Do the most important thing first, or when you are at your optimum mental performance level. It may be early in the day or late in the afternoon. Determine when it is for you and work accordingly.

Do not schedule too many high priority items or tasks for one week or one day.

Do not let 3’s become 1’s due to inattention.

Make appointments with yourself to get work done. KEEP the appointment!

Wasted time is doubled effort, and increased stress. Searching for misplaced items and information wastes time. Be sure everything in your office and home has a place to “live” and keep it there, whether it’s the stapler on the desk, or electronic files. Take it out and put it back where it belongs. (Wasn’t that Day 2 in Kindergarten???)

Break each project into manageable steps. Be Realistic. Do not keep adding to each step unnecessarily.

Delegate when possible – if you are not the only one involved in accomplishing a task or project, others should share certain responsibilities throughout the cycle of completing the project.

Projects will expand to fill available time, so schedule the time. Set completion dates for the overall project and also for each step. Work toward each date until it is done.

Remember that when you are scheduling your time, one of the hardest things to do is to say NO. Mastering the art of saying “no” to unrealistic expectations is not easy, but can be one of the most freeing things that you ever learn to do.

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“Was that a weekend?!”

Monday, August 29th, 2011

You know you have too much on your plate when Monday rolls around and you ask yourself “Was that a weekend?” Now Monday is here again and you begin your week feeling tired and stressed. Did you put too much on your plate for the previous weekend that did nothing but further stress you instead of rejuvenate you? You may have gotten a lot done physically but was it worth it?

Think about it – what did you do last weekend that really could have waited until some time in the future OR that didn’t really need to be done at all? Was it cleaning out the attic, painting the garage floor, or mopping the basement? You get the picture – was the thing that took your time and energy really what you needed to do? Was there a true purpose to the activity that you expended so much energy on? If so, GREAT! Congratulations on getting the house ready for the party, or for house guests, or to be placed on the market soon, but if not, well, you know…

Did you allow time for any personally enjoyable activities? Not just fun for others, but for you as well. I am not suggesting that you always place yourself first on the list; I’m simply suggesting that it is healthy for you to be on the “Fun Activity” list somewhere. If working in your container garden is rejuvenating then do that. If rock climbing is fun for you, then do that. It doesn’t matter what it is, just do something each weekend that relaxes you and lets the stress leave your system; so when Monday arrives you will have the energy and mental capacity to properly focus on your work.

Spend some time on you each weekend and become the person that people want to emulate and not the one they dread seeing on Monday! That’s a great individual to be.

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Legal Advice, Part II

Friday, April 24th, 2009

In a recent posting, I told you about the “30 something” tax attorney who was dealing with unrealistic expectations form his clients. They wanted everything done “yesterday” even though they didn’t tell him about it until today! He had some good advice for everyone using the services of not just attorneys, but all service providers, and I want to paraphrase some of those suggestions and share them with you.

One of the first things he suggested was to think through questions you may have regarding your situation. To the best of your ability consider everything that may have an effect on your question. This takes time. Don’t do this as you dial the number or compose the e-mail, but rather set aside time to thoughtfully think through your situation.

Write down the questions and the possible answers that you come up with. Sometimes by going through this exercise you may discover other options to consider, which will help you improve communication with the service provider.If there are others involved, such as family members, then be sure to have all necessary information readily available like full names, SS #s and dates of birth.If your question is related to your business have necessary information available.

When you have prepared and are ready to make the call or send the e-mail, realize that the recipient may have a very full schedule and may not be able to respond to you immediately. Allow for a reasonable amount of time to pass before following up on your service request. Sometimes the office assistants will be able to help you with your question or will be able to tell you when to expect a return call or message reply.

Most importantly, do not procrastinate! No matter the type of service provider, there is little that can be done in a timely manner if you wait until the last minute to make the call, or send the message. If at all possible, plan ahead. When you don’t, your stress is increased, the service provider’s stress level increases, late fees increase, and your bill is increased when things are postponed until the last minute. If you will initiate service when there is time to consider options carefully, you will almost always be more satisfied with the outcome.

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Waste An Average of 40% Per Workday?

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

According to the Wall Street Journal, white collar workers waste an average of 40% of their workday. Not because they aren’t smart, but because they were never taught organizing skills to cope with the increasing workloads and demands of the modern workplace. Wall Street Journal, 2005

One way to cope with these increasing demands is by scheduling your time well, including appointments. We all have appointments but we all don’t take the time to remember to schedule all the parts of the appointment in our calendars.

If we will take time to schedule all phases of an appointment and prepare for the actual appointment, we will reduce stress and gain efficiency at the same time.

According to Susan Lannis of ORGANIZATION Plus, there are five parts to scheduling an appointment. Many people I work with do not consider each part of an appointment when scheduling their work day and as a result get into a time crunch more often than not due to this oversight. Let’s briefly discuss each part.

Prep Time

Look over your notes from previous meetings.

Do all participants have the information they need to prepare for this meeting?

Are you responsible for any follow up information?

If so, do you have the follow up information available?

Will this information be clear to others?

Can you present the new information in an interesting, clear and concise way to the person or group?

Will you use handouts? Did you print the appropriate number of them?

Are they ready to deliver to the group?

Is the PP projector set up, and/or the laptop ready with all current and needed information?

Do you have the power strip and cord that are needed if the laptop battery fails?

When technology fails, can you still conduct a productive meeting that will not waste other’s time? What will it take in order to conduct the meeting without the technology? Do you have all the materials ready and printed in the right amounts in case this happens?

Travel to the Appointment

How much time will this take?

Is it a walk down the hall or is outside transportation involved?

Have you allowed for delays in your travel time? Remember, even a “short” meeting in the hall or an added stop along the way may prevent you from arriving on time.

The Appointment

Remember to begin AND end on time “always.” This practice will set a good example for others.

Harold Taylor has some good suggestions regarding meetings:

a)Enlist the participation of the quieter members

b)Encourage constructive criticism only

c) Time each item and stick to the schedule as closely as possible

d)Inject Team Spirit - not competitiveness

e)Do not allow people to wander off topic

f)Give a summary of the action they have to take as a result of the meeting

g)Schedule the next meeting while everyone is present

Return Travel

How much time with this take?

Any possible delays or distractions?

Debrief Time

This is probably just as important as the time spent in preparation for the meeting; however it is often the most overlooked part of a meeting. Instead of walking back to your desk and dropping everything from the meeting on the chair, or the corner of the desk to deal with it “later”, take time now to compile your notes, put away handouts, schedule assigned tasks, and make follow up plans for various items discussed and assigned.

Break each portion of a new project into manageable steps.

Be realistic and delegate when possible.

Remember meetings, like projects, expand to fill available time; so schedule the meeting time properly and stick to the schedule. The people you work with will appreciate it when you show that you value their time by managing company meetings well.

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The Great Quest to Be Organized

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

 

Could your disorganized work style lead to health problems? Yes, says Sandra Seick RN, the director of cardiovascular development with Providence Hospital. Chaos leads to stress, which takes itself out on the body. The primary organ affected by stress is the heart. Eat right, exercise and reduce your stress, advises Seick.

 

Not long ago, high tech gurus around the country were predicting that, by now, we would have become a paperless society. Though a heavenly vision, it simply hasn’t happened. In fact, with the onset of technology, people seem to be waging an internal battle, stuck somewhere between their old filing system and an increasing attraction to their computer and all of its paperless capabilities. The result is chaos, lost souls who, at one time relied on personal filing methods but who are now wandering aimlessly in a disorganized realm.

 

Today, it is estimated that 80 percent of all information is still paper based. U.S. and Canadian businesses alone generate over one trillion new pieces of paper each year In addition, the average time to retrieve and re-file a paper document is 10 minutes, and about 30 percent of documents are lost or misfiled and have to be recovered at an alarming cost of $120 per document. (Source: Gartner Group, Coopers &Lybrand, Ernst &Young).

 

“It’s not only frustrating to be disorganized, it’s just plain costly,” says Lee Donald, president of Organizing Associates Inc. in Mobile. Donald likes to quote a study by Coopers and Lybrand which found that the average executive wastes 150 hours per year looking for lost, misplaced, misfiled or mislabeled documents.

 

“People think that being organized is being perfect, but it’s not,” Donald points out. “Being organized is having a system that works consistently for that person.”

 

Though there are different software programs available to help people become more organized, Donald’s favorite one for filing systems is called “Taming The Paper Tiger.”

 

Describing it as a “search engine for your files,” Donald says the system integrates paper filing systems into a computer program that can help people find information instantly, reminds them of any activity they need to maintain within a file, and can even keep track of archived information stored offsite.

 

“You’re not getting rid of your files,” said Donald. “You’re simply logging them into a system where you can cross reference information and find things instantly without searching through a file drawer. It’s so useful that you no longer need to keep a single piece of paper on your desk. Your active files and information are placed within arms reach, so even your “things to do list” can be dropped into a file.”

 

Mark Glass, CEO of Southern Heritage Inc. is a believer in the Paper Tiger method. His three-year-old company was experiencing 10 percent com pounded growth every month of last year and this year, the percentage has been even higher.

 

“My desk was a three- ring circus,” said Glass. “We have 8,000 customers in our data base. I use my computer for everything, but when it came to paper; I didn’t file anything for fear I’d lose it. I needed to put my hands on that paper instantly.”

 

One day, Glass was watching television and saw Donald talking about the Paper Tiger system. He called her the same day with one simple sentence, “You are going to organize me.” Before long, Donald was in his office helping him put his papers into the system.

 

“With Paper Tiger, everything’s in the computer and files are numbered. It’s so simple, but it’s ingenious,” said Glass. “If paperwork bogs you down, you can’t grow. This enables you to get control so you can step up to the next level.”

 

 

Five Tips for Organizing Your Workload

1. Eliminate the non-essentials.

2. Prioritize your task or “to do” list using a 1, 2, or 3to indicate order of importance. Do one of each every day, so that the lesser important things do not turn into urgent matters.

3. Schedule appointments with yourself to get work done. Keep the appointment!

4. Define and delegate when possible.

5. Break projects into manageable steps and schedule the due dates for each step on a calendar for all involved.

 

 

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Integrated Legal Office Systems Lead to Productivity, Part 5

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

 

Key #5 Listen Well, Communicate Effectively  

Good listening skills help us avoid miscommunication with co-workers, which reduces stress and improves individual and office productivity. One of the listening issues I’ve found in many practices is that there is not time set aside on a daily basis for the people in the office to communicate face to face. 

We all get busy and think that since there is not a fire to put out at this moment there is not an important issue to discuss.   When time is taken to discuss the issues at hand it keeps an office running smoothly because everyone knows what is important. 

Again, the most important part of effective listening is to summarize.  Be certain that you have clearly understood the message.  Also, when getting a point across to others be aware that the way you speak – your voice tone and facial expressions often have a more lasting impact than the actual words you use.

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