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An Important
Message from Todays Staffing
When you are out on
assignment, if you need help on a software program,
or have a question about a program you are using,
the Todays Staffing Help Desk is available to you,
as always! Just call 888.733.4357 (888.SEE.HELP)
and a representative will answer whatever question
you may have. Hours are 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.,
Monday through Thursday, and 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
on Fridays. Feel free to take advantage of this
number, to help you get the job done more
efficiently, without having to ask your assignment
supervisor a question that the help line can answer
for you instead.
Also - CDI University is
available to you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
anytime you want to learn a new skill or fine tune
an old one. There are more than 800 courses in this
free training program, all available for you to take
advantage of. Online classes include business
management skills, customer service skills, IT
skills, Microsoft Office programs, personal
development, and project management. Try it out
today!
A
Little Effort Can Spell
P-R-O-D-U-C-T-I-V-E Days
by Judy Camp
We all want to achieve success. In today's
business, the name of the game is
productivity. Being organized can make or
break your career. Here's how to maximize
your own productivity...
Prioritize...Make
a list each day of things you hope to
accomplish. Mark the most important items
with a symbol, like a red check mark. If you
cannot proceed until receiving information
from another person, mark the person's
initials next to the item. Throughout the
day, a simple glance at the marks you have
made to the left of the items will let you
know what needs to be acted on next (or who
to give a reminder that you are still
waiting on them).
Relax...Don't
overact when things go wrong. Assume that
something will go wrong, and regard it as
another challenge. When estimating the
amount of time it will take to do a project,
add about 20% for "aggravation time."
Remember to take a break when you just can't
think anymore.
Open
up to new ideas...Taking
the time to organize your work area can
save a great deal of time later on. Learn a
new computer program or attend a seminar.
Project yourself into an ideal future to
help you decide what additional skills you
should develop.
Delegate...Be
sure to rely on supportive office help, if
it is available to you. These are valuable
people who deserve good treatment. Take the
time to develop your support staff, and be
as clear as possible about what you want.
Remember to praise them often. This will
save you countless hours later on, and raise
the quality of your work.
Uninterrupted
time...A large project may never get done if
you are constantly interrupted with minor
things. Try to set up some time each day for
uninterrupted time. Try not to take calls,
ask that minor questions be held for later,
and close the door, if possible. Sometimes
an entire department can earmark a quiet
hour. No one talks to each other, and no
calls come in during this hour. Outside of
work, too, quiet time is important, so you
can
reflect on your priorities.
Criticize
less...Everyone's work will improve if you
can focus more on what you are doing than
criticizing the work of others (unless that
is your job). When criticism is necessary,
try to do it kindly. Others need to continue
to be productive too, and kindness keeps the
motivation high.
Try
not to procrastinate. If you have something
you know you should do and keep putting it
off, find the best time of day and...just do
it! Thinking about it sometimes becomes a
way to avoid it. Then action is what is
called for. You can always improve on the
first draft later.
Identify
time wasters...Watch for those nasty details
that take hours to work out. If you suspect
one coming, stop before you get too far into
it and consider whether there are quicker
alternatives to solving the problem. Maybe
someone else handles this type of thing
routinely and could solve the problem in a
matter of minutes. This avoids "reinventing
the wheel" needlessly.
Variation...To
keep yourself from getting bored with your
job, try to initiate a little variation.
Tasks usually fall into categories of easy,
hard, boring, or fun. Varying the order of
the tasks will provide a balance in your
routine.
Enthusiasm...When
you first chose this career path, you
doubtlessly felt a lot of enthusiasm for the
work. As much as possible, try to recapture
this enthusiasm. Compliment others on their
work, keeping their enthusiasm alive as
well. Feeling good about what you do is the
very best guarantee of productivity.
About the author:
Judy Camp has been a writer and marketing
manager for twenty years, and has focused on
web marketing for the past five years. Her
web site
http://www.ourbusinessoffice.com
provides resources for web businesses.
Reprinted with permission from
www.ourbusinessoffice.com.
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