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Increase Productivity
by Using These Time-Saving Techniques

In today’s corporate environments, almost all employees are expected to do more with less... less money, less time, less help. In order to live balanced lives, modern employees must come up with more effective and efficient work practices. The following tips may help to shave a few minutes, or even an hour, off every day.

*** When there’s a backlog on your voice mail, copy down the messages and delete them. You won’t have to waste time listening to old messages the next time you check your box.

*** Use email. Just because someone calls doesn’t mean you have to respond immediately. Instead of breaking your concentration on the project at hand, set aside a specific time to return calls.

*** If a meeting is not top priority, go for the beginning and then hand it off to an associate or assistant, who can provide you with minutes, or a verbal summary.

*** Set aside time for tasks that require stretches of uninterrupted concentration. Tell coworkers that you are unavailable and close your door, or consider working off-site to avoid interruptions.

*** Work the hours that best suit you best. If you are most productive in the early morning hours or after 5 p.m. talk to your supervisor about altering your schedule.

*** Know your limitations. If fatigue kicks in and you’re reading but not comprehending, take a five-minute break. If you can’t solve a particular problem move on to a different project and come back to it later.

*** Constantly evaluate whether anything is being accomplished, If you have a meeting scheduled between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., and after 15 minutes the ideas aren’t flying, simply say, "This isn’t working. Let’s share our ideas via email or schedule a conference call next week." Don’t waste an hour just because you scheduled an hour.

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