| As society gets more and more busy, we realise | | | | first and then decide to reply later. This makes |
| that we are constantly pressured to do more and | | | | you waste time in re-reading emails. |
| more in lesser time. Sometimes when we look at | | | | 29. Short and sharp. Reduce the length of emails |
| the end of each week, we notice that we have | | | | so that other people do not find it too daunting to |
| put in so much time at work but did not know | | | | read and you will also save time in the process of |
| where it went? Where did it all go and was it | | | | crafting it as well. |
| worth it? | | | | 30. Boilerplate. Use them for frequent questions or |
| As a results oriented individual, I'm always | | | | repetitive proposals. Boilerplates are essentially |
| experimenting different ways to make myself | | | | templates to typical questions or proposals |
| more productive and efficient. I do not want to | | | | without having to constantly reinventing the wheel. |
| just simply put in more hours at work but rather, | | | | 31. Craft subject lines clearly. Since most people |
| seek to make better use of the. | | | | decide to open emails based on subject lines, it is |
| Here are the 54 no frills way of improving your | | | | important that you need to write relevant and |
| productivity right now! | | | | descriptive subject lines. |
| Habits | | | | 32. Number your points. It helps to ease reading |
| 1. Hermit Time. You need to allocate a time slot | | | | and guide others to reply according to your points. |
| where you will totally be undisturbed and being | | | | Communication |
| incommunicable (just like a hermit). | | | | 33. Quick Chat. Strive for the quickest and most |
| 2. Momentum is key! Remember that there is | | | | effective way of communication. A one minute |
| always momentum when you work. It is very | | | | conversation one-to-one phone call can deliver the |
| important to ensure that the momentum is not | | | | better results than you making a lengthy reply |
| disrupted by other things, e.g. phone calls, checking | | | | through emails or Short Messaging Service (SMS). |
| emails, people stopping by to talk to you and etc. | | | | 34. Clarity of speech. Be clear on your thoughts |
| Once the momentum is lost, it will take some | | | | and purpose for every conversation. Most people |
| time to get it back. | | | | don't communicate well because they do not |
| 3. I-can't-see-you. Turn off anything that distracts, | | | | know what they want to achieve from every |
| i.e. Instant messengers, TV, newspapers, | | | | conversation. Communication is considered |
| Facebook, Twitter and etc. | | | | effective only when the recipient receives your |
| 4. Stop multi-tasking. There is a white paper that | | | | intended meaning. |
| says that it makes you stupid, impatient and | | | | Meetings |
| reduce your concentration ability. Doing one thing | | | | 35. Do I need to be there? Always ask if you |
| at a time also makes you focused to accomplish | | | | really need to attend the meeting before hand. |
| a task quickly and to high standards. | | | | Some meetings are just for information and you |
| 5. Stop being a perfectionist. You can take whole | | | | can just read the minutes after the meeting. |
| day to ensure that small little things are in order, | | | | 36. Agendarise everything. Ensure there is an |
| but is that effective? | | | | agenda in all meetings. This is to make meetings |
| 6. Say "NO". Taking more things doesn't make | | | | purposeful and clear. |
| you more focused or effective if you are already | | | | 37. Time Limit. Decide that you will end the |
| struggling with the amount of things to do. There | | | | meeting at an appointed time. This helps reduce |
| are always more things to do, but it should not be | | | | unnecessary conversations. |
| done at the expense of what is the main purpose | | | | 38. Homework. Before you do anything new, |
| of your job. | | | | consider talking to people first. You can save |
| 7. Performance Reviews. Conduct self evaluations | | | | precious time from avoiding mistakes that other |
| at the end of each day and ask how you would | | | | people have committed. |
| have done it better. | | | | Work Environment |
| 8. Maximising "On the go time". When you are | | | | 39. Conducive Environment. Maintain a work |
| travelling, can you listen to a CD or MP3s to | | | | environment that encourages you to work. |
| educate yourself? | | | | Distractions from people or a messy table might |
| 9. Buzzword is Effectiveness. Remember that | | | | affect you. Think through about what items need |
| activity does not mean accomplishment. You can | | | | to be close/far from you to encourage you to |
| be doing a lot of things and running around in | | | | work better. |
| circles. Strive to be effective first before being | | | | 40. Adequate Lighting. Ensure that there is enough |
| efficient. | | | | lighting to avoid eyestrain. |
| 10. Effectiveness Percentage. Calculate your | | | | 41. Good ergonomics. Ergonomics is defined as |
| Efficiency percentage= [ (Time doing Real Work1) | | | | the science of measurement and a person's |
| / (Time spent at work2) ] x 100%. Where 1 is | | | | relationship to it. You should have good posture in |
| the amount of time you actually spend doing real | | | | everything you use. This includes desk, height of |
| work, while 2 is the office hours you put in. You | | | | computer, distance of the computer from your |
| will be wise to improve efficiency percentage by | | | | eyes, your feet resting comfortably flat on the |
| maximising your time. | | | | floor and etc. |
| 11. Invest in yourself. Read, attend courses or | | | | Outsourcing or Delegation |
| seminars that will make you think faster, make | | | | 42. Value Generation. Consider out-sourcing or |
| better decisions and improve your gut feel for | | | | delegating part of your work out if you feel that |
| things. | | | | it does not bring generate the most value for |
| 12. Avoid information overload. Today's society | | | | your company. Can part timers or personal |
| tends to give us too much information about | | | | assistants help? Anything repetitive can usually be |
| things that we rarely use. Unsubscribe yourself | | | | outsourced easily. |
| from websites or reduce reading newspaper | | | | 43. Need a freelancer? You can outsource your |
| content. Read only relevant ones that impact you. | | | | work (almost anything can be done there) to |
| 13. Schedule Pit Stops. Even a high performance | | | | professionals from other countries at a reasonable |
| car in the F1 needs to enter a pit stop to refuel | | | | price. Try or 44. Hire good people and get out of |
| and change tires. They do it so that they will | | | | their way. Be clear on their job descriptions and |
| continue running at an optimum speed. You need | | | | how they add value to the company. Coach them |
| your rest so that you can carry on working | | | | to succeed and empower them to make |
| better. | | | | decisions so that they can improve your |
| Daily organisation | | | | company's effectiveness. |
| 14. Plan ahead. Create a task list of things to do | | | | Personal motivation |
| by the morning. Put check boxes next to them | | | | 45. Hang out. Stick with people who inspire you to |
| so that it will encourage you to complete them. | | | | take positive action in life. Identify friends or |
| 15. Finish by 12pm. Do the important tasks as | | | | colleagues that inspire you to take massive action |
| quickly as possible before lunch time. | | | | to improve your life. I'm sure that if you were to |
| 16. Schedule dailies. If you set aside time on a | | | | hang around with Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or |
| task or habit, you will tend to finish the long | | | | Steve Jobs, you will want to do something |
| waited book, losing weight or learn an entirely | | | | significant with your life! |
| new sport. | | | | 46. Get pumped up. Staying motivated is |
| 17. Spell Deadlines. Give yourself deadlines to | | | | extremely important in getting you to complete |
| everything you do. Remember that deadlines are | | | | long duration tasks. Realise what keeps you |
| spelled as deadlines, not datelines. Cross the line | | | | motivated and constantly remind yourself of it. |
| and you are dead. | | | | 47. Mantra Mantra. Recite "Do it now" again and |
| 18. Break-up. Break up huge tasks into smaller | | | | again until you are too tired to hear another time |
| sizes. This prevents procrastination and getting | | | | and get it done. |
| lost in the immensity of a task. Finishing small bite | | | | 48.Get a personal mentor or coach. They will help |
| sizes of work tends to be much easier to | | | | you identify your blind spots and coach you to |
| manage. | | | | overcome them and focus on what you do best. |
| 19. Peg time limits to each task. This prevents | | | | 49. Reward yourself. Give yourself a reward |
| you from using too much time to finish a task. | | | | when you achieve certain milestones in your |
| 20. Keep files for everything. This will prevent you | | | | work. This will incentivise you to work harder the |
| from looking around for lost documents. | | | | next time. |
| 21. Prioritize your work. What is urgent may not | | | | 50. Practise makes permanence. The more time |
| always be important. | | | | you spend in doing something, the better you |
| 22. Ignore doing, if possible. Before you do | | | | become. This reduces the amount of time to do |
| anything, ask yourself if you really need to do it? | | | | it again. Hey, being good at something also pays |
| Sometimes the consequences of not doing | | | | well too! |
| anything may be acceptable. There are some | | | | Computer Techniques |
| things that do not even need to be done. | | | | 51. Better software skills. Consider upgrading your |
| 23. P-Cycle. Decide when your most productive | | | | software skills and learn short-cuts and hot keys |
| time is. There are personal cycles of productivity | | | | to finish a task faster. |
| and you should schedule your most important | | | | 52. Email consolidation. Programs like Gmail has the |
| tasks at that time. | | | | ability to consolidate several email addresses into |
| 24. Batch your work- If you batch your work into | | | | a main account. This means that you can avoid |
| chunks, it might be easier to manage. Think of all | | | | logging into too many email accounts and asking |
| the functions of your job scope and complete it a | | | | yourself if your email is placed in which account. |
| chunk at a time, eg make phone calls, run errands | | | | 53. WPM. Improve your typing speed (measured |
| or clear administrative work. | | | | in Words Per Minute). Secretaries to learn how to |
| 25. Be like e good chef. Before a chef cooks, he | | | | touch type (which means typing without looking |
| has all the ingredients laid out before him already. | | | | at keys) and tend to be faster than anyone else. |
| Gather all the resources and tools before you | | | | You can type faster by memorising the keyboard |
| start to work. | | | | and using all your fingers. |
| 26. Cross-pollination. Bring good ideas or best | | | | 54. Use updated tools. Ensure that the software |
| practices from other industries and ask if they | | | | and hardware tools are all updated so that they |
| can be applied to yours as well. | | | | can function at an optimum speed. A computer |
| Emails | | | | with a good processing speed and internet |
| 27. Stop excessive emailing checking: Check your | | | | connection speed is essential to ensure that it |
| emails only twice or at maximum three times a | | | | does not impede your work. |
| day. Excessive checking of emails tends to make | | | | PS: If you have new ideas that you think should |
| you waste time. | | | | be included in this blog post, do leave your |
| 28. Act on all emails immediately: Do it by deleting | | | | comments here. Do share about which one above |
| or replying to them. Do not try to read an email | | | | you feel resonates within your soul. |