The activity during summer months can sometimes interrupt our routine at home and at work. The heat, the vacations, the family and friends visiting, the kids home from school…all of these can have an impact on you and your productivity in the office.
Here are eight tips to help you get through exactly what needs to be done AND get you back into your routine more calmly, without getting distracted.
Revisit Your Goals
Get your mind back to the present by writing out your goals for the upcoming week or month. Reassess what you want to accomplish now that you’re back into the swing of things.
Make A List
This should include all of the tasks that apply to your position and responsibility, as well as those things that you may have let slide over the summer or have been on your to-do list with no deadline for some time. Once you have your list, it’s time to take action.
The 30-Second Rule
If it only takes 30 seconds, do it now. If it takes more than 30 seconds, put the task on your to do list – and let the sender know that this will be handled by the due date.
Don’t Be Afraid To Delete
Delete any email that is outdated, missed deadline, or not relevant to you. If it’s not important to you or your company – don’t waste your brain power reading it!
Pass It On
Re-assign tasks that should not be on your list. Let the person you’ve re-assigned the task to evaluate the importance to their list.
Focus On One Thing At A Time
Don’t try to multitask. Take your to-do list, line by line — task by task. Mark any task that can be put on hold, and assign a due date on your to-do list and calendar. You’ll be surprised at how much more you’ll get done when you focus your attention fully on the task at hand.
Clean Up Your Workspace
Take inventory of your “piles” and get rid of anything that you have completed and discard anything that is not your responsibility. If you have discarded something of importance to another person, let them know you’ve released responsibility.
Get Back To Business
Now that you have de-cluttered your work area, assignments have been prioritized, and your plan is back on track…now it’s time to get to work!
