ALL FOR YOU

Exercise Email Willpower       Constantly checking those messages is addictive and can Stop you from getting your real work done.  So put yourself on a strict email diet. “Don’t ever check your email for the first hour of the morning,” advises   Julie Morgenstern, corporate productivity consultant and author of Never check Email in the Morning.  “Process your inbox every one to two or even every three to four hours depending on the demands of your job.”      When you do eventually tackle your virtual inbox, try to Keep your exchanges short and to the point, and sum up exactly what you need, for instance, by writing, “please confirm 4 p.m. meeting tomorrow” in the header.  If despite your efforts you find yourself  getting sucked into an unproductive back and forth of pleasantries and trivial information, it’s perfectly fine for you to bring things to a close with a simple “Thanks” or “No reply necessary,” says Morgenstern. “i...

Protect Your Productive Time      “The number-one complaint I hear is, ‘I don’t have time to focus during the day because people are always interrupting me,’” says Morgenstern.  That may be the case, but you’re the one who’s allowing the interruption, When you say,  “Sure, I’ve got a minute” to the project on your desk.  And behind every project you’re late on is a person you’re letting down.      How can your say,   “Not now” without sounding uncaring or rude? Tape a note to your door: “Can It wait?  Under deadline.”  Morgenstern suggests that you set aside certain parts of each day when you can give people your undivided attention.  That way it you say, “Ca we tall at 3 o’clock?”  you know you’ll actually be available at that time. “Your greatest asset is your earning ability.   Your greatest resource is your time.”