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Ideas, insights and inspiration for busy people on the go Friday, October 14, 2005 |
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Editor’s Scribbles
I can’t wait to tell you what an interesting week I had! It started with a call from my brother on Saturday night to say his baby was due any time.
Now as far as I knew, the baby wasn’t due for at least another three weeks. “Yeah”, my brother agreed, “it could be a false alarm so I’ll keep you posted.”
When I didn’t hear from him that night, I went to bed assuming it had to be a false alarm. But guess what? By Sunday morning, I was an aunt to a little baby boy!! Now how cool is that?
My youngest daughter has never been to see a newborn and she was going nuts, or rather driving me nuts, with her excitement. “Can we go see the baby NOW, Mom? NOW, Mom?”
Although only five-and-a-half pounds, the baby is healthy and I think that’s really what counts. What was more interesting to me though was seeing how my kids were suddenly speaking in hushed tones and going all soft and goo-goo-ga-gaish over their new five-and-a-half-pound cousin.
I don’t have to tell you where I’ll be this weekend. I’m going to bed early tonight. I need a break from answering baby questions all week including the universally-dreaded one, “Where did the baby come from, Mom?” Errr... (can you see me rolling on the floor laughing?).
Have a safe weekend, everyone, a really big thanks for sticking around and I’ll see you back here next week
Kit Editor/Publisher Website: http://MinuteChaser.Go-GetGlobal.com Email: chaser@go-getglobal.com
Modern Living Time Management: How to Minimize Interruptions by Kate Regent If you’re like most busy executives, you know that interruptions are a big drain on your productivity. While all interruptions can’t (and shouldn’t) be prevented, here are some ways you can minimize them and gain more control over your time. * Identify your priorities. If there’s a key project you need to give uninterrupted time to, earmark an hour or two early in the morning to work on it. Do it before you handle client calls, check email, etc. Consciously creating space for your top priorities is an excellent way to manage your time. * Let your colleagues and subordinates know that you come in early to office and prefer to spend the initial hour or so (e.g., till 9:00 am) working alone on your projects. Let everyone know you are available for meetings only after that time. * Where possible, create a certain amount of isolation while you’re working on something important. You might choose to close your door, or even work inside a conference room for a short while. * It’s a good idea to arrange your office / desk so that you don’t face the traffic or are in the midst of traffic. This helps you concentrate better and minimize interruptions. * If there are files or resources in your area that others frequently access, shift them. I knew one manager who had a photocopy machine right in front of his desk, with only a clear glass partition in between. It was a huge distraction for him because people were using the machine continually. On top of that, when they see him at his desk, many would stop by to chat as well! You can imagine the waste of time that meant. He found it much easier to work after he had the photocopier shifted elsewhere. * If you have a secretary or other assistant, let him know that no interruptions are permitted during the time you’ve blocked off for key projects. Also let them know what interruptions are ok at other times. Give them the authority to schedule meetings for you during blocks of time you set up for the purpose. * Where possible, tell subordinates to bunch together problems they want to discuss with you so that you can deal with all those issues in a single meeting. Of course, this may not always be feasible. * When someone asks you for a short meeting, offer to drop into their office at a specific time. That way, you’re in control of the time. And you avoid the possibility of their dropping into your office and spending an inordinate amount of time there. * If they need to meet you immediately, ask them for an estimate of how much time they need. Agree to meet them for that amount of time. This puts them under a certain amount of pressure to finish the meeting at the earliest. Don’t try this with your boss! * If someone comes to your office and rambles on beyond what is necessary, tell him that you have to go elsewhere for a meeting right now. Or invent some other plausible reason for making an exit. An organization can function effectively only if there is a significant amount of interaction among team members. So do make sure that your attempts to gain productive time are not at the expense of the real needs of your organization. ----- About the author: Kate Regent is passionate about using time effectively. She has written about time management tips, the whys of delegation and managing time at work among others topics. Check out the foregoing links for articles on managing time.
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Offpeak Hours The 11 Step Plan for Organizing Your Closet by Brook Noel Reading the “C” word may make you recoil in horror. “How dare she bring up a such a thing in her first newsletter,” you may gasp. Needless to say, this newsletter isn’t for those who lack courage or for the faint of heart. Going boldly doesn’t entail conquering the junk drawer. In The Rush Hour Cook Club we go for the gusto, the big time, the whole enchilada. So my guess is you have more than one of these “C-word” areas in your home. The good news is that you can pretend (for now) that you only have one. Yours. (We will get to the kids next time!) So here are the steps I challenge you to take. 1. Grab all of your dirty clothes and clean them. This includes dry cleaned clothes too! (Imagine my surprise when I found all my missing kitchen towels and long-lost summer shorts!) 2. Take anything that is off-season, fold it neatly and pack it away in labeled storage containers. (I like those large plastic Rubbermaid containers. They can be stacked easily in a garage, attic or another "C-word" area.) 3. Grab a box and remove all the hangers from your closet that don’t have clothes on them. 4. Now arrange all your hangers so that they are facing the same direction. This will help avoid tangles that require advanced yoga-skills in order to excavate yourself. 5. Decide what is going to be on hangers and what is going to be stacked. Are you going to hang sweaters or fold them? T-shirts and light cottons? Pants? I love to hang just about everything as I find it gets less wrinkled---and as you probably guessed—I don’t own an iron. 6. Now that you have decided, go ahead and put everything in its proper place, hanging like items together. 7. You knew the "use it or lose it" talk was coming. I saved this for after the sorting process so that you could easily see what all you have (how many black skirts does one person need?) Take all those clothes you don’t wear and get them out of your closet. Here are a few options for removal: a. If you have a bunch of clothes from when you were a different size than you are now and you anticipate needing them in the future, fold them all neatly and put them in a Rubbermaid container with the size clearly marked on the outside. b. If you aren’t sure whether to keep something or get rid of it, try it on. Go look in a full-length mirror. How do you feel? If you find yourself smiling, promote the article to a hanger. If you find yourself experiencing disassociate disorder, give it away. If you are impartial, grab a Rubbermaid and toss it inside. In 6 months, repeat the experiment. (Many professional organizers suggest that if you haven’t worn something within a year, let it go. I find that often I don’t wear something because I have forgotten I own it or simply can’t find it! That’s why I suggest the try-it-on experiment.) c. If you have a hard time letting go of something because it was expensive, a gift, or you have some other attachment, the best cure is to give it a good home. Place in a bag and deliver these items in-person to a homeless shelter or woman’s shelter. You’ll never regret your decision. If you need extra cash there is another alternative. Become an E-bay junkie. You’ll be amazed at what a silk shirt and other nice clothes will auction for... The key is to be descriptive and take a good photograph. 8. Remove anything in your closet that you wear only once a year. If you have a few fancy outfits or suits that you rarely wear, get them out of your working space. Put them in a hall closet. The goal is to get your closet to the point that anything you grab will be something you can wear—and feel great in! 9. Now you have streamlined your clothing and gotten everything in its proper place. If you have a separate wardrobe for work, group it together at one end of your closet. Basically categorize like items together so you can easily find work or casual wear. 10. You are almost done! Tackle socks, hosiery and intimate apparel next. Throw out anything with a hole or tear. Match up socks. Create a lost sock box to keep in the laundry room for socks seeking partners. 11. Tack up nails to hold accessories, purses and belts. Buy a storage box from your local craft store to securely hold jewelry. Purchase a shoe rack or an over-the-door organizer that easily hangs and holds 20 pairs of shoes. Or… be like me and use Rubbermaid. I have three tubs (1) for dress shoes (2) for boots (3) for all other stuff. ----- About the author: The Change Your Life Challenge http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com Take control of your home, finances, relationships, clutter, time-managmenet and more with this 70 Day Program. Sign up for the free Challenge Weekly Newsletter and the motivational daily Good Morning.
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IN THIS ISSUE Editor’s Scribbles Modern Living Time Management: How to Minimize Interruptions Ad Board Offpeak Hours The 11 Step Plan for Organizing Your Closet Water Cooler Earn a FREE classified - easy!
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Issue 0510-14. Copyright 2004-2005 Minute Chaser Ezine. All rights reserved in all countries. |
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