Time Management Log

Need to know where you are wasting time at work? Want to get more done but can't find the time?
Use this log to analyze your time habits for one week and you will be amazed!
Find it here:
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B89JSa1q6kRTZDE2YjI3MGEtMDk3OC00ZGYyLThhZWEtMWE5ZTZhYzk4YTk0&hl=en


What to do:
Track every task you do - start time and end time. Include smoke breaks, bathroom breaks, browsing the internet, emailing someone, talking to coworkers, etc. as well.
Be honest! The only person who will see this is you - and it is only as helpful as it is truthful.
At the end of each day hilight all of the tasks that you can eliminate to save time.
Create a plan to cut these habits out of your day to add more productivity.

This will be a very long week, a tedious process and you may get frustrated or annoyed and want to give up. Don't. It will only help you if you do it for at least 5 days to see true trends. It will be worth it - I proomise.

Not sure it will be worth it? Consider this:
- We only work 124,800 minutes a year (40 hours a week)
- at $50,000 per year, that's $0.40 per minute - why waste it?
- 1 hour of planning will save 10 hours.
- 80% of what we keep we never use
- The average U.S. executive wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files. (That translates into one hour per day.) -The Wall Street Journal
- Getting rid of clutter eliminates 40% of housework in an average home.
-The average person receives more information on a daily basis now, than the average person in 1900 received in a lifetime.

Organizing Incoming Mail

Hello, all!
I just wanted to share a quick tip with all of you for organizing - I have found it to be EXTREMELY valuable!

To handle incoming mail at the office or at home, create a file box (one that will hold either a few hanging folders or manilla folders - not too large.) This box can sit on the counter or desk and should be located closest to the door and garbage can.

Create files with the following titles:
To Pay
To Act (or To Do)
Pending
To Enter
To Attend
To File
To Read

Then, use the files as follows:

To Pay - all bills and items requiring payment
To Act - Anything that you have to take action on
Pending - anything you are waiting on someone else for (catalog orders waiting to come in, anything you are waiting to talk to someone else about, etc.)
To Enter - anything that needs to be entered (or scanned) into the computer
To Attend - party invitations, meeting announcements, theme park tickets, airline tickets (anything you have to attend - make sure to RSVP and to write it in your calendar before putting it in here)
To File - papers that need to be filed in the filing cabinet (clean this out and file all of them when it gets full)
To Read - magazine articles (rip them out of the magazine,) informational papers, etc.

Also put a bag with your:
checkbook
envelopes
pen
stamps
check register
return address labels calculator

in the front, you can then carry this box to wherever is convenient to pay your bills - and you can always find your things when you need them!


For more information about this system and others feel free to join me for my free discussion groups:
May 1, 5:30pm and May 8, 11:00am at Barnie's Coffee in Lake Mary, FL. For More info go to: http://messies.meetup.com/65

I would love to hear any questions or ideas you all have about organizing as well!
_________________
Suzanna Letchford
Professional Organizer
www.ASpaceThatWorks.com
407-416-6118