Tools to Organize Your Time, Your Office,

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Tools to Organize Your Time, Your Office, Your
Life
Rachelle Vettern Leadership Volunteer
Development Specialist-NDSU Extension Service
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Pitney Bowes Study

• The average U.S. worker receives 204 messages
  daily through e-mail, voice mail or hard copy.
• 75 regular phone messages
• 48 voice mails
• 6 cell phone messages
• 50 e-mails
• 18 interoffice dispatches
• 15 letters
• 10 faxes
• 8 pager messages
• Getting more messages every year, but were less
  bothered by them.
• Number of people who say they are overwhelmed by
  messages dropped from 31 in 1998 to 25 in 1999,
  23 in 2000.
• -- from The Zweig Letter

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Time Management

• Creating a balance leads to a happier,
  well-rounded life
• If work crowds out your personal life its time
  to look at your time management
• Reevaluate your priorities

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WorkIts All About Attitude

• Managing your time at work will lead to a better
  attitude about your job
• If you take pleasure in the work you do you will
  have a better attitude about the time you spend
  there

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Get Your Things in Order

• This is one of the keys to time management
• Make time to know where everything is
• Dont feel guilty about taking time to organize,
  it will save you time in the end

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Activity Diagnose Your Clutter

• Look at the Diagnose Your Clutter handout
• Star the one that is most like you
• Review the solutions
• Be prepared to discuss with the large group

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Diagnose Your Clutter

• Need for Abundance
• Unclear Goals, Priorities
• Fear of Failure or Success
• Need to Retreat
• Fear of Losing Creativity
• Need for Distraction
• Sentimental Attachments
• Perfectionist Tendencies
• Just in Case Clutter

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Tips for Taming Clutter-Handout

• Know your organizational/clutter style
• De-clutter on your terms
• Start small
• Ask for help
• Use box system
• Give useful items home
• Use mantra
• One room at a time

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Paper Trail

• Paper can be worse than termites on a log cabin
• Handle paper only once-figure out what needs to
  be done with it, and move it along (take care of
  it, file it or recycle it)
• Use a file tray or desk file holder

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Resist doing things that have no meaning for
life.

• Pablo Cassals

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How Do You Say NO?
Jot down way you say NO.
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10 Ways to Say NO!

• 10) NO, thank you.
• 9) NO, but thank you for thinking of me.
• 8) NO, but Id love to get together another time.
• 7) NO, but Im sure youll have fun.
• 6) NO, thank you, Im not interested.
• 5) NO, Id rather not.
• 4) NO, I dont want to.
• 3) Im sure you understand, but I cant
• 2) Im sorry, but Im just not available to do
  that now.
• 1) NO, I wont change my mind.

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Keys to success

• Plan your time wisely-map out your day the day
  before (Dont forget fun!!!)
• Make a distinction between which tasks are urgent
  which will have the most impact on your future.
  Urgent tasks are not always the most important.
  (handout)
• Plan low energy tasks for low energy times of the
  day

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Home

• Avoid the Morning Rush
• Go to bed earlier get up earlier
• Place items you need in one location
• Make clothing choices for the next day
• Give yourself 11/2 hours before work
• Schedule some alone time-get up first
• Take time for breakfast
• Nutrition Are you thinking about it?

By Deb Gebeke
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Work

• Plan-failing to plan is planning to fail
• Convenience-have the things you use most close to
  you (dont break your concentration by getting
  up)
• Use bulletin boards, desk files, calendars to
  manage upcoming events
• Multi-task-do easy work while listening to a news
  program
• Manage your procrastination worries (handout)
• Do tough tasks first (10 min. rule)
• Learn to delegate
• Dont schedule every minute-plan for
  interruptions
• Subtract an old activity when you add a new one

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Office OrganizationPrioritizing Tasks

• Not all tasks are created equal
• Maintenance vs. Progress Tasks
• If you get bogged down with maintenance tasks you
  wont find time for progress tasks wont reach
  your goals
• Urgent vs. Important Tasks
• If you focus on urgent tasks you will be very
  busy but not moving towards your goals

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Time Killers at Work

• Telephone/e-mail
• Surfing the web
• Interruptions
• Socializing
• Procrastination
• Personal disorganization
• 7. Cleaning your desk

• 8. Inability to say no
• 9. Lack of delegation
• 10. Indecision
• 11. Unimportant paperwork reading
• 12. Poorly planned meetings
• 13. Television video games

From The 26 hour Day How to Gain at Least 2
Hours a Day with Time Control by Vince Panella
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Drive Time

• Safety first?
• Listen to CDs/tapes ex Good to Great
• Practice your presentation for upcoming meeting
• Catch up on the news/current events
• Make your mental to do list
• Take a mental break

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Activity Take Control of Your Time

• List 3 main priorities in your life
• Everyone gets 168 hours a week no more no less
• 168 hrs in a week __hrs asleep __awake hrs.
• Add up how many hours you spend
• ___on work
• ___with family
• ___on spiritual reflection
• ___on physical activity/wellness
• ___on personal/professional development
• ___with friends/social
• ___on leisure Is your life balanced?

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Stress Busters

• Communicate
• Work on good health-eating
• Exercise!!!
• K.I.S.S.
• Initiate positive self-talk. Believe in yourself!
• Guard integrity
• Use humor wisely
• Nurture good relationships by Sue Vineyard

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More Stress Busters

• Celebrate success
• Never confuse worth with work
• Avoid score keeping
• Keep play mates close!
• Correct for balance
• Be kind to yourself
• Remember we are human beings not human doings!
• Work smarter not harder
• Finally, stressed is desserts spelled backwards
• by Sue Vineyard

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Manage your time so you can spend more time at
the
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References

• Strategies for Organizing Your Office and Your
  Life presentation by Denise Hellekson-The
  Village Business Institute
• Vineyard, S., (1996). Stress Busters. Handout.
• Adams, B., (2001). The Everything Leadership
  Book. Holbrook, MA Adams Media Corporation.
• Gebeke, D. (1993). Balancing Work and Family.
  NDSU Extension Publication FS-513.

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Contact Information

• Rachelle Vettern
• Leadership Volunteer
• Development Specialist
• Center for 4-H Youth Development
• 219 FLC, Box 5016
• Fargo, ND 58105-5016
• Phone [phone] Fax [phone]
  rvettern_at_ndsuext.nodak.edu