| MANY people have been complaining recently | | | | to reduce your stress. |
| about their time management problems | | | | |
| specifically around having an inordinate | | | | Another way to reduce stress is to reduce |
| amount of meetings to attend on a daily | | | | interruptions. |
| basis. This leaves them with little or no | | | | |
| time to tend to their emails, voice mails or | | | | Think of the time you spend during your |
| anything else, for that matter. The | | | | workday like Chinese water torture. This is |
| incredible stress this causes can be greatly | | | | the popular name for a method of water |
| reduced. | | | | torture in which water is slowly dripped onto |
| | | | a person's forehead, slowly and |
| First off, know that you really DO have | | | | unpredictably, driving the victim insane. The |
| control over the number of meetings you | | | | victim tries to predict when the next drop |
| attend. If you use a group calendar system | | | | will fall causing tension build up. When the |
| like Outlook and your calendar is empty at | | | | drop finally does fall, a sense of shock and |
| the time a meeting is called, then you will | | | | then relief follows, only to be replaced with |
| be scheduled to attend it. However, if you | | | | more tension about the next drop. |
| intentionally block out time (translate = | | | | |
| show busy) for your email and other projects, | | | | Believe it or not, you experience a feeling |
| then you won't be going to that meeting! | | | | similar to Chinese water torture every day. |
| Certainly there are some meetings that you | | | | According to the National Association of |
| HAVE to go to, but limit your time available | | | | Professional Organizers, the average business |
| by blocking out time for you, first. | | | | person is interrupted, or dripped on, |
| | | | approximately 60 times per day. Each |
| Another simple strategy is to just say "NO"! | | | | interruption lasts an average of five minutes |
| Of course this needs to be used judiciously | | | | or a total of four hours per day. These |
| but remember it always IS an option! | | | | interruptions come primarily in the form of |
| | | | phone calls, emails, and other people |
| Secondly, do you REALLY have to attend every | | | | dropping by. So if you are busy working on a |
| meeting you are invited to? Of course we all | | | | project and your email dings (an unexpected |
| want to feel needed and important but some | | | | drip), your body tenses up or "twitches." |
| meetings are just a plain waste of time. Find | | | | Your mind now shifts away from what you are |
| out from the meeting organizer what the | | | | doing to make a decision about what needs to |
| meeting will cover and why you need to be | | | | be done with the interruption. Multiply this |
| there if you are at all unsure. You might | | | | by 60 and you have a very stressful and |
| just buy yourself an extra hour by spending 2 | | | | non-productive situation indeed! |
| minutes checking. | | | | |
| | | | So here's some ways to reduce your "twitches" |
| Also, has your organization learned the ways | | | | so you can feel more accomplished at the end |
| to running efficient meetings? They include | | | | of your day: |
| things like: | | | | |
| | | | Turn OFF your email notification. If you are |
| - Timed out agendas sent ahead of time | | | | feeling like a slave to your email, this can |
| | | | help you feel like the master. |
| - Clear purpose and objectives | | | | |
| | | | Check your email 3 times a day (OR less than |
| - Basic meeting ground rules | | | | every 5 seconds!). If you are in a customer |
| | | | service position, this may not work BUT if |
| - STRICT start and end times | | | | you can resist obsessively checking email, |
| | | | you will twitch less and have more time to |
| - A meeting timekeeper to keep on track | | | | get other work done before checking it again. |
| | | | |
| - A meeting minute taker (to share with those | | | | Use voice mail and turn the ringer off. (See |
| NOT in attendance, maybe you??) | | | | #1 above.) |
| | | | |
| - A meeting facilitator | | | | Create daily office hours and post them. Just |
| | | | like professors, let others know when you are |
| - Evaluate meeting for productive or | | | | available to field questions and issues. |
| unproductive outcomes | | | | Otherwise, your time is your own for projects |
| | | | or meetings. |
| - Set next steps | | | | |
| | | | Go where you can't be found. When you are |
| If you and your colleagues are meeting'd out, | | | | trying to get some reading or important work |
| want to make your meetings more efficient or | | | | done, sign yourself into an empty conference |
| spend less time in meetings, then I hope this | | | | room or go to the cafeteria off hours to |
| gets you thinking about making some changes | | | | reduce your interruptions. |