"Unless you are an hourly worker in America, boundaries between work and leisure are dead. Work bleeds into life, and life bleeds into work. People have the smart phone, aka the “digital leash”. Work will never be the same. It’s already gone."
- Kris Dunn, VP of People, DAXKO, The Blurring Line Between Work and Life
ARE YOU TOO BUSY??
Today as I was reflecting on a sermon we heard recently here at Second Baptist on rest I started researching some very practical tips on fighting busyness in my own life. here is what I found.....
Here are 5 Tips that work for overly busy people in the workplace:
1. Scrutinize Meetings: Look at every invitation skeptically. If there's no clear agenda, stated ending time, or no purpose that involves your own purpose, "no" would be the right response. BTW: A lot of people would rather avoid the "no" and believe they can sit in the back and work unassumingly on something else. Nah, doesn't fly--and, it's not very courteous. PS - some of you don't have the privilege of turning down meetings, if so try to limit them.
2. Learn when to stop: There's a fascinating dynamic at work here: the more pressure we feel the more we tend to hunker down and work even harder and longer. Harder and longer usually lead to working past the point where we're 100% attentive. The result: Reduced, or little, effectiveness. And, it often requires going back and doing the work all over again.
Today as I was reflecting on a sermon we heard recently here at Second Baptist on rest I started researching some very practical tips on fighting busyness in my own life. here is what I found.....
Here are 5 Tips that work for overly busy people in the workplace:
1. Scrutinize Meetings: Look at every invitation skeptically. If there's no clear agenda, stated ending time, or no purpose that involves your own purpose, "no" would be the right response. BTW: A lot of people would rather avoid the "no" and believe they can sit in the back and work unassumingly on something else. Nah, doesn't fly--and, it's not very courteous. PS - some of you don't have the privilege of turning down meetings, if so try to limit them.
2. Learn when to stop: There's a fascinating dynamic at work here: the more pressure we feel the more we tend to hunker down and work even harder and longer. Harder and longer usually lead to working past the point where we're 100% attentive. The result: Reduced, or little, effectiveness. And, it often requires going back and doing the work all over again.
3. Do take time: to accurately convey your thoughts to others. How easy it is to rattle off instructions by phone or email when we're hassled. The result? Discovering (too late) that someone responsible for a key part of your project misunderstood what you said you wanted.
Accurate communication is always a time-saver over the long run.
4. How many ways can you learn to say "No!"? Develop at least a half dozen polite variations until you can say them on cue.. Then use them. A lot.The best way to prevent personal overload is to stop saying "Yes" to requests. Oh, the person requesting your time is your boss? Here's what to do: seriously and politely ask for clear priorities and explain that you need to know what to drop to make room for the new assignment. I think you'll be surprised at how often this will prompt your boss to reconsider the work assignment; and, (s)he will realize that your request has been helpful in clearing up departmental priorities.
5. Consider Consequences. Think ahead, and not just about what you want to see happen.
Business folks are, by nature, results driven. "Driven" can lure us into focusing only on the goal and forgetting about the fact that bad things can happen. Tight deadlines can really be an enemy to ignoring risks. Rushing into action without counting the cost can prove to be the most costly way of operating. What could go wrong and what will you do if it does? An ounce of prevention. . .
Accurate communication is always a time-saver over the long run.
4. How many ways can you learn to say "No!"? Develop at least a half dozen polite variations until you can say them on cue.. Then use them. A lot.The best way to prevent personal overload is to stop saying "Yes" to requests. Oh, the person requesting your time is your boss? Here's what to do: seriously and politely ask for clear priorities and explain that you need to know what to drop to make room for the new assignment. I think you'll be surprised at how often this will prompt your boss to reconsider the work assignment; and, (s)he will realize that your request has been helpful in clearing up departmental priorities.
5. Consider Consequences. Think ahead, and not just about what you want to see happen.
Business folks are, by nature, results driven. "Driven" can lure us into focusing only on the goal and forgetting about the fact that bad things can happen. Tight deadlines can really be an enemy to ignoring risks. Rushing into action without counting the cost can prove to be the most costly way of operating. What could go wrong and what will you do if it does? An ounce of prevention. . .
Thoughts from Steve Rosler's blog "All Things Workplace"
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