Make the most of your time for work - and play
Five tips you can use to maximize your personal productivity
If you’re like most IBMers, you have more items staring up from your to-do list than there are hours in a day. As long as we’re limited to 24 hours in a day, we want to use our time as wisely as possible.
By prioritizing tasks and organizing our approach to getting them done, we can increase our efficiency to leave more time for leisurely pursuits. The goal: healthy work-life balance.
With balance in mind, we've compiled the following five tips for increasing your personal productivity from several sources, including LifeWorks. Some are simple actions you can take to control your workload. Others require a shift in our approach to how we work.
Adopt them all, or take what you need. The advice is free.
1. Get organized
- Keep your desk, drawers, shelves and files neat and organized. Throw away files and papers you no longer need or that are outdated.
- Keep your desktop clear of everything but current projects and items you use everyday. File old papers and put plants and photos on a shelf. This will make it easier to focus on what you need to do.
2. Take control of your e-mail; don’t let it control you!
- Don’t monitor and respond to your e-mail continuously. Set aside time two or three times a day (e.g. morning, after lunch and before heading home) to read through it and respond. Keeping a constant eye on your inbox hampers your ability to focus on the task at hand.
- Prioritize your e-mail and organize your inbox. If a message is urgent or requires quick response, respond immediately. Otherwise, set up folders in your Lotus Notes for your messages, and prioritize messages by project or person so you can reply when appropriate.
3. Prioritize your workday
- Prioritizing means setting goals for what you need to accomplish on a given day or in a specific time period, and determining which projects or tasks have to get done first, and which can wait. If you’re not sure which of your projects deserves top billing, ask your manager.
- Make a to-do list each day, and re-prioritize as events dictate. Take care of quick tasks right away and cross them off your list.
- Avoid multitasking whenever possible. You will find that you produce more high quality work when you focus on the task at hand as opposed to dividing your attention among multiple projects, e-mail, Sametime, conference calls, etc.
4. Establish focused work time
- When it’s time to work, make sure you’re set up to get work done. Cut down on distractions and interruptions from office visitors and Sametime. Turn off Sametime (or put yourself on do not disturb), and close your office door. Set the phone ring to voice mail.
5. Take time for yourself
- Be sure to take breaks from your work and recharge. Allow time to eat lunch away from the office. It’s especially important to step back from your work during crunch times. It can be as little as walking up and down the hall or stepping outside for a breath of fresh air.
- Don’t be afraid to turn off your ThinkPad in your downtime. You don’t need to be available 24 by 7.
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