These little things are 5 of the biggest time wasters we all face. Change these habits and you will change your life.
DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE WHEN YOU ARE BUSY! - For a taste of truly mastering your own time, try this. Don’t answer the phone every time it rings! Especially your cell phone. If you are talking with someone or in the middle of something, finish what you are doing, then check your voice mail. That’s what voice mail is for! Not only does it distract you, it’s extremely rude to answer your phone when you are having a face to face conversation with someone else. Plus you then have to remember to call them back. Yet another thing on your mind to add to your stress.
When one of my clients finally learned how to be the master of his phone, his stress level was cut by at least 75%. He used to stress out every time the phone rang and jump for it no matter what he was doing. When he stopped letting the phone control his life, he started to get more respect at work, and even get along better with people. Why? Because he didn’t resent the phone so much, so he was nicer to people AND he got more work done!
CHECK MAIL AND VOICE MAIL ON YOUR OWN SCHEDULE - It’s best to check mail every few hours or even just 2-3 times a day. This way you can work uninterrupted on your projects and get more done! This is a good practice with voice mail as well. You really don’t have to check every time the message lights up!
DON’T CHECK MAIL FIRST THING IN THE MORNING - Okay, you can breathe again now. Seriously, I know this sounds a bit shocking to a lot of you, but remember this. Morning is usually your most productive time! Don’t spend it getting distracted from your goals by checking your email and voice mail first.
PLAN YOUR DAY - This is what you should do first thing in the morning. If you haven’t done it the night before - make a TO DO list for the day with 5-7 things you must accomplish. Then spend your first work hour of the day working on your list, or on a critical project / deadline. When you are ready to take a break, then check email and get back to people.
KILL THE EMAIL ALERT! - Many people leave their business email open all day and have it alert them every time they get mail. I strongly recommend you shut off the Alert and stop the constant distractions.
Implement these five changes and you will be astounded at how much calmer your life will be. YOU will be back in charge of your time and your life!
© 2006 Ariane Benefit
Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed., is a professional organizer, coach, author and speaker with over 25 years experience helping people and businesses reach new heights of performance. She has written over 90 articles & posts which can be found on the popular "Neat Living Blog: Neat Ideas for Living" at http://www.NeatLiving.net and at http://www.NeatLiving.org Ariane resides in Bloomfield, NJ with her husband, Alan and three adorable Maine Coone cats. When not helping people organize their lives, she enjoys gardening, entertaining, traveling and riding her motorcycle.
