2. Definition (2 of 2)
Getting the most out of your life by
maximizing today’s electronic
systems and resources.
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3. Technology
Place goal reminders on your
Personal Data Assistant (PDA), cell
phone, or computer.
These can act as the little voice inside
your head, and with them, you will be
more likely to translate your goals
into actions.
Keep your goals in the forefront of
your thoughts!
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4. Divide and Conquer
Create separate folders and lists for
individual projects and tasks via
computers or Personal Information
Managers (PIM).
This will prevent you from becoming
overwhelmed with what’s on your
plate and allow you to focus on one
thing at a time.
Operating on a lower stress level in a
more organized fashion will increase
productivity.
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5. Voice Recognition Software
If typing isn’t your forte, invest in
voice recognition software.
It allows you to talk and transcribes
what you say (many with up to 99%
accuracy).
Spell-check is included.
Special versions exist that are
familiar with the jargon of specialized
professions, such as law, business, or
medicine.
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6. Update Your To-Do List
By clicking a mouse or pressing a
button, you can adjust your schedule
in minutes.
Frequently check on and evaluate
your progress for the day or week,
then adjust your electronic scheduler
accordingly.
This will ensure that you maintain a
reasonable, flexible, schedule and an
attainable to-do list.
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7. Managing Paperwork (3 of 3)
Paperwork consultant Robert A. Shiff
reports that:
– people wasted 20-30 percent of their
time tracking down information, sifting
through out-of-date information, or
searching for something that has been
misfiled.
In face of the paper deluge, you must
remember that your goal is to reach
your ultimate goal.
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8. Work Towards a Paperless
Office (1 of 2)
Invest in a scanner:
– Increase the amount of data that is in
the computer rather than simply lying
around collecting dust.
Computer databases usually store
information such as names and
telephones, yet can also store more
detailed and complex information
about client sales history, product
ordering, and other such records.
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9. Telephone Management (2 of 2)
Nine out of ten executives spend at
least an hour a day on the phone,
and four out of ten spend over two
hours.
How would you rate the quality of
your phone time and its worth to
you?
The more you can put the telephone
to its best use, the better return you
will get from your investment of time
and money.
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10. Download “Time Management
and Technology”
PowerPoint presentation
at ReadySetPresent.com
Slides include: 8 points on goal-setting software, 6 points on planning, 4 points on doing your
research, 4 points on contact management software, 6 points on daily projecting and recording, 3
points on trying a PIM, 4 points on keeping track of your password, 4 points on thinking like a
computer, 4 points on work time, 3 points on evaluation, 3 points on going wireless, 3 technology
overlaps, 7 points on finding exactly what you need, 3 points on lacking a laptop, 3 points on
logical passwords, 3 points on learning from your computer, 4 points on voice recognition software,
3 points on recording repetitive tasks, 3 points on power management, 3 points on guarding your
wireless access, 6 points on in-between time, 4 points on cleaning computers, 5 points on
automating whenever possible, 8 points on managing paperwork, 4 points on working toward a
paperless office, 5 points on factoring time into your plans, 3 points on document management
systems, 3 points on designing a master plan, 3 points on updating your rolodex, 5 points on
telephone management, 3 points on storing phone numbers, 3 points on sending a text message, 3
points on cell phone typing, 4 points on backing up your phone book, 3 points on keeping an
updated website, 4 points on communication, 3 points on utilizing email, 3 points on integration, 3
points on backing up your computer, 3 points on organizing your inbox, 3 points on podcasts, 3
points on keeping communication, 4 points on social networks and forums, 3 points on sharing and
collaborating online, 4 points on procrastination, 3 points on changing email habits, 3 points on
avoiding instant messenger, 3 points on regulating your browsing, 5 points on managing crisis, 4
points on always backing up your work, 3 points on checking all machinery, 7 points on striking
preemptively, 4 points on self-discipline, 3 points on time-management software, 3 points on
uncluttering your life, 4 home tips, and finally 16 action steps.
Royalty Free - Use Them Over and Over Again.
Now: more content, graphics, and diagrams
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Editor's Notes
Place goal reminders on your Personal Data Assistant (PDA), cell phone, or computer. The key is always keeping your goals in the forefront of your thoughts. Thanks to technology, you can make it virtually impossible to lose sight of both short and long-term goals. Most devices like cell phones, PDA’s, and websites can serve as the little voice inside your head that helps you stay on target. With your goals constantly in your thoughts, you will be more likely to translate them into action.
When utilizing electronic or digital planning via devices such as computers or Personal Information Managers (PIM), create separate folders and lists for individual projects and tasks. This will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed with what’s on your plate and allow you to focus on one thing at a time. Operating at a lower stress level in a more organized fashion will increase productivity.
Still typing with two fingers? Surprisingly, this is not the most efficient way to produce documentation. If typing isn’t your forte, invest in voice recognition software. This software allows you to talk and transcribes what you say. Many have up to 99% accuracy. They come with spell-checking functions, and there are also special versions which are familiar with the jargon of particular professions, such as law, business, or medicine.
With the use of today’s technology, the once vital white-out is rapidly becoming obsolete. By clicking a mouse or pressing a button, you can adjust your schedule in minutes. Frequently check on and evaluate your progress for the day or the week, then adjust your electronic scheduler accordingly. This will ensure that you maintain a reasonable, flexible schedule and an attainable to-do list.
A nearly incomprehensible wonder of the current age is the volume of paper we generate and store. Paperwork consultant Robert A. Shiff reports that after surveying hundreds of companies, he found at least five to ten cubic feet of records for every employee—that’s four standard, letter-sized, three-drawer file cabinets’ worth. He found that people wasted 20-30 percent of their time tracking down information, sifting through out-of-date information, or searching for something that has been misfiled. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, 50 million file drawers hold an estimated 250 billion pieces of paper in American offices today.
Closer to home, the average cost of producing a business letter is $15-20 for paper, productivity, and time. An employee earning $600 weekly spends seven minutes. For higher-paid executives or correspondence involving several parts, the cost can be very high.
Yet, few higher executives currently apply time management techniques to the generation or storage of information. Many write letter drafts instead of turning on the tape recorder and still more read and re-read tremendous amounts of material themselves. The average executive works a 63-hour week, about 12.6 hours a day, yet more than two thirds still think they have insufficient time to think or plan.
In face of the paper deluge, you must remember that your goal is to reach your ultimate goal. Don’t let your desk, workspace, or materials hold you back from that. You go to your desk to think well, perform well, and attain your goals. You don’t go to sit, move objects from place to place, or search among millions of papers. When you recognize that your goal is to exchange ideas and information, not paper, you will be better able to streamline your paperwork and save yourself time and money.
Your workspace will help you save time if it is conducive to focused work and thought. It will also help you save time if you neither have to move far nor search long to find and retrieve what you need for your work. You can keep your path of progress and your workspace clear, organized, and useful. Here’s how.
One device that can assist in reducing the amount of paperwork is the scanner. Increase the amount of data that is in the computer rather than simply lying around collecting dust.
The onslaught of computer databases has been immensely helpful in managing paperwork. While databases typically store information such as names, addresses, or telephone numbers, they can also store more detailed and complex information about client sales history, product ordering, and other such records.
Nine out of ten executives spend at least an hour a day on the phone, and four out of ten spend over two hours. In 1986, the phone bill for the United States Pentagon was $86,800,00.00. How long do you spend talking on the phone? What kind of phone bill are you responsible for?
More importantly, how would you rate the quality of your phone time and its worth to you? The more you can put the telephone to its best use, the better return you will get from your investment of time and money. To do that, follow these four guiding principles.