Organizing Your Work Day Tips, Tricks and Tools

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Christine Reynolds
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Organizing Your Work Day Tips, Tricks and Tools Two Components of

Director, Faculty Development Your Mind What the Research Shows Can You

Our productivity goes down the more we multi-task.

Regular vacation time helps us regain our lost cognitive abilities.

Our natural energy dips every 90 to 120 minutes.

1 Organizing Your Work Day Tips, Tricks and Tools Two Components of Productivity Your Mind Your Space Janice Marie Simon, MA, CPO Project Director, Faculty Development Your Mind What the Research Shows Can You Focus? We need more sleep, exercise and healthy eating habits. Our productivity goes down the more we multi-task. Uni-tasking is more efficient and productive. Regular vacation time helps us regain our lost cognitive abilities. People lose vacation time every year because they don t use it. Our natural energy dips every 90 to 120 minutes. Four Quadrants of Productivity Physical Emotional Mental Productivity, organization, time management, getting things done Spiritual Tony Schwartz, author of The Way We re Working Isn t Working 1

Going Mental Write Stuff Down We ve stretched our attention bandwidth to upper

With continuous partial attention we keep the top level item in focus and scan

Make a To-Do List Make a NOT To-Do List Time log TimeTag app Note option on

MIT? Kiss the Frog Most Important Thing One thing has to be a bigger priority

2 Going Mental Write Stuff Down We ve stretched our attention bandwidth to upper limits. With continuous partial attention we keep the top level item in focus and scan the periphery in case something more important emerges To be busy and to be connected is to feel alive. But the consequence is we re over stimulated, over-wound and unfulfilled. Make a To-Do List Make a NOT To-Do List Time log TimeTag app Note option on phone Paper -- Linda Stone, former Apple and Microsoft researcher What is your MIT? Kiss the Frog Most Important Thing One thing has to be a bigger priority than the others. Going Mental Boundaries Work in minute sprints when you can and limit interruptions during this time. When you say no to someone else, you say yes to yourself. You can say more than you realize. 2

Phone and E-mail Free Zones Phone Free and Limited E-mail Zones Your Space What Does

Goal: Find what you have Get the things done you want to get done Access the information you

Impact of Office Hoarding 28% of employers are less likely to promote someone who has a

their perception of that person 33% of workers say they re hoarders 38% of workers say

3 Phone and Free Zones Phone Free and Limited Zones Your Space What Does Organized Look Like? What is organized to you? Don t compare yourself to others. Goal: Find what you have Get the things done you want to get done Access the information you need when you need it How your desk looks impacts what other people think about you The Impact of Office Hoarding 28% of employers are less likely to promote someone who has a disorganized office space Nearly two in five employers say messy desks negatively impacted their perception of that person 33% of workers say they re hoarders 38% of workers say % of their desks are covered with papers and materials Graphic based on CareerBuilder Study: 3

Managing the Stuff of Office Life Office Organizing: Desk Hot Zone

Lukewarm Zone May require a stretch or slight lift out of the chair Cold

stapler in drawer Sticky notes are for temporary information Use desktop

desk clear as possible ONE container for pens Limit the tchotchkes

Toss the trash coffee cups, used napkins, etc.

4 Managing the Stuff of Office Life Office Organizing: Desk Hot Zone Sitting in your chair, you can reach with your arms with little effort Lukewarm Zone May require a stretch or slight lift out of the chair Cold Zone Have to get out the chair Office Organizing: Desk Put tape and stapler in drawer Sticky notes are for temporary information Use desktop file sorter to capture papers you do have Keep the floor underneath the desk clear as possible ONE container for pens Limit the tchotchkes Presentation is Everything: The Quick Tidy Remove the sticky notes taped on the monitor, printer, the desk, etc. Remove the papers taped to the overhang door or hanging on the desk wall Toss the trash coffee cups, used napkins, etc. Recycle the journals, junk mail and papers you no longer need Straighten up all the visible areas If you look organized, you feel organized 4

The (Paper or Digital) Files You Need The (Paper or Digital) Files You Need Action Immediate to-do s. The items you must get done.

To Go Items you need to take with you to another location (meeting agendas, coupons, etc.) Waiting For What are you waiting to hear back on? Put it here so it doesn t slip through the cracks.

Use it for your evaluation. Meetings Folder for each regular meeting you have Travel If you travel, put all travel information here. If you travel a great deal, have a folder for each trip.

5 The (Paper or Digital) Files You Need The (Paper or Digital) Files You Need Action Immediate to-do s. The items you must get done. To File File once a month or even less often, depending on how much paper you generate To Enter Items you need to order, fill out, etc. Projects to Finish -- What needs to be completed? To Go Items you need to take with you to another location (meeting agendas, coupons, etc.) Waiting For What are you waiting to hear back on? Put it here so it doesn t slip through the cracks. Ideas Where you put ideas you have (Evernote works for this too!). All Abut Me Folder Your education information, certificates of completion, goals, pats on the back. Name it what you like. Use it for your evaluation. Meetings Folder for each regular meeting you have Travel If you travel, put all travel information here. If you travel a great deal, have a folder for each trip. Office Organizing: Embracing Digital Organizing Electronic Files Use copy machine scanners or desktop scanners to create PDFs. Rename and save. Send electronic handouts and materials for meetings Subscribe to electronic journals Detach attachments from and save on server Scan business cards Executive CardScan CamCard app Create an outline of your filing system Use broad categories (don t overthink it) Use sub-folders for more specific topics Create the folders on your server and then drop files in What s in a name? Use dates or version A on work in progress What do YOU call it? Use keywords for searching It s okay to rename a document or photo Organizing Electronic Files Organizing Electronic Files Broad categories: Travel AAMC 2012 AAMC 2011 Presentations Grand rounds 2011 Leukemia talk Administration CV Staff Meeting Manuscripts Writing in Progress Completed Manuscripts Book Chapter Articles: Put them in file folders EndNote (Bibliography, classes at Research Medical Library) Mendeley (web and app) Papers (Mac only: web and app): 5

Managing Outlook and Email Use Your Calendar Turn off the email alert Outlook 2010: Click on File.

and folders Some faculty and managers have their assistants help with email The Great Outlook Crash

work and access information There s an App for that (but not for PHI information): Dropbox and

and Evernote) Voice recognition: Siri, Vlingo, Dragon Go Kindle, Nook and ibook apps Good Reader,

6 Managing Outlook and Use Your Calendar Turn off the alert Outlook 2010: Click on File. Click on Options and then Mail. Create Rules to manage s. Right click on the . Click on Rules. Example: Automatic Reply s Create folders for s you need to keep Regularly delete s and folders Some faculty and managers have their assistants help with The Great Outlook Crash of 2012 Set reminders and add tasks Other Digital Tools Tablets and smartphones have changed how we work and access information There s an App for that (but not for PHI information): Dropbox and Evernote Wunderlist, Toodle-do, Remember the Milk Voice Memo Noteshelf ( or upload to Dropbox and Evernote) Voice recognition: Siri, Vlingo, Dragon Go Kindle, Nook and ibook apps Good Reader, iannotate, PDF Expert Docs to Go Office Organizing: Paper and Files Regularly purge paper and digital files How long do I have to keep it? Is there a retention schedule? Who else has it? Where is it? Maximize Overhang Space 6

7 Organizing Tools I Like The Power of Cute! In Place Desktop File Sorter (Office Max Peter Walsh s In Place Line) Avery Write On Tabs and Post It Tabs: Can write on the tabs Deep drawer organizers Hook and loop circles to hold it down Label maker (of course!) Magazine holders and file boxes Your Closing Ceremonies The last minutes of your day: Put things away Make any notes for the next day Dump leftover tea, coffee and food Toss any junk mail Check your calendar Prepare for the next day Contact Information Janice Marie Simon, MA, CPO FCT Pinterest: Linked In: 7

Are You Too Busy? Practical Tips For Better Time Management

with Lorena Prime Are You Too Busy? Practical Tips For Better Time Management Is this How You Feel? What s a Productivity Expert? Focuses on offices (at work or virtual / home) Sets up file systems and