brownbaggeraugust11

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Brown Bagger

This section is set up to provide a ready-made Brown Bag Session for you to use with employees and/or managers. Use as is, or adapt this information for a general employee group. You may reproduce as many copies as needed.

Improve Productivity to Achieve More with Less Time By Joelle Jay

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mericans today are busier than ever, and this problem only seems to be getting worse. Demanding bosses, layoffs and workload restructuring, new technology, planning, business travel, innovation, competition, and family obligations, all combine to create the kind of pressure that, as one business leader put it, “makes it hard to breathe.” The solution? In order for employees and employers alike to avoid burnout the key is to stop trying to go faster and instead maximizing the time they do have to be more productive. The benefit is that as productivity is increased, people actually work less. If your corporate clients and employees are ready to trade their current frantic pace of work for one that’s more relaxed yet efficient, the following strategies – whether it’s a manager, supervisor or an employee – will help anyone achieve more in less time. Make New Time Rules Fact: We are all operating under unspoken time rules. Financial advisors often advise people to set “money rules,” such as “save 10% of every paycheck.” Money rules help people to be decisive and stay true to their financial goals. For efficiency and quality of life, anyone can apply the same concept to their time by setting new time rules. Here are some of the rules that some successful business leaders have set: • Never open email before planning the day. • Never schedule a meeting before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. • Turn off your computer after 7 p.m.

August 2011

• Keep your PDA off during family time. • Eat dinner at home as much as possible, even it means working for a while in the evening. • As much as possible, spend no more than one evening away from home per week for a work-related event. No one can do anything about certain business trips – but many of us are guilty of imposing excess hours on ourselves. • Work on personal goals during “your time” and work at “the office.” • Be home in time to tuck in the kids in every night, or at least call them to say goodnight. If you have Skype, so much the better. Would any of these rules work for you or one of your clients? To set time rules, ask the individuals participating in this brown bag session to try this simple formula: v Notice what’s not working about the way you spend your time. v Write down what would work – the way you wish you could spend your time. v Make a time rule that makes your time work well for you. Here’s an example:  It’s not working for me to have people walking into my office all day.  I would prefer to have at least two consecutive hours a day with the door closed.  Rule: I close my door for two hours a day. Time rules, even small ones, have the advantage of being concrete and explicit, making it easier for workers to hold themselves accountable. Once an individual has set a rule, he/she needs to communicate it to co-workers and other business associates. People can only respect boundaries if they’re clear. Said another way, they can only follow the rules if you set them.

EA Report Brown Bagger 1


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