How to leave the office on time?

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You would like to leave your office on time but you cannot because you are not finished yet. Are you familiar with this situation? Then you should learn to better manage your time.

Restrict disturbing things

If you have a problem with notoriously putting off your tasks, start by setting an alarm or an audible warning on your phone to 15 minutes. Then put all your efforts into solving a given  task during the 15 minutes. No Facebook, no email and no other distractions. Train the fifteen-minute sessions and you will get used to it very quickly. And when talking about e-mail - view it only once or twice a day. Stick to the rule to either processed each message immediately, store it in a theme folder for later processing, or delete it.

Furthermore, keep your desk clean. It sounds like a cliché, but those few minutes you  devote to cleaning your desk each day will pay off. You will learn how to organize your papers and others will learn it, too. Set aside a space where everyone who will bring something to your table can insert the documents. Then sort the papers into three "baskets" - 1) to process, 2) to delegate, and 3) to thrash.

Reduce disturbing people

To do more work, do not interfere with other people in the workplace. Clearly specify when you do not want to be disturbed. If you have a door, close it. If not, e.g. colored adhesive papers can help you. A red stick on your chair will tell everyone that they should not disturb you. When you choose a green stick, you will indicate that you are available. Learn also to say no. If you are very busy and it is not a priority, thank for the offer and explain why you cannot accept it.

Reduce unplanned activities

Always focus only on one thing at a time. Plan in advance what you have to do in the coming days and work on priorities. Before starting a task, think about what specific steps are required to do and write them down. It will help you finish faster. Delegate the tasks that do not have to  be necessarily fulfilled by you.

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Article source News.com.au - Australia’s number one news site
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