Work Habits

To get more things done requires good working habits. It is possible to gain as much as an hour a day for concentrating, through the efficient use of time. Here are a few suggestions gathered from the writings of a number of experts.

• Keep your desk free of old material.
• Act on each item as it crosses your desk. If postponement is indicated, do so definitely.
• Be businesslike with visitors who may tend to linger.
• Separate the "urgent" from the "important" and do the "important" during your most productive hours. Daily mail is urgent — long term planning is important.
• Get help from others either by conference or by assignment.
• Decide trifles quickly.
• Stick your neck out. Fear of mistakes keeps many people from accomplishment.
• Do not attempt too much in any one day.
• Make time for getting big tasks done every day.
• Never try to get all the little jobs out of the way before you start a big one.
• If you can't find a solution to a problem, don't continue to waste time on it. Drop it, come back to it later.
• Delegate anything that someone else can do well enough.
• Plan what others will have to do when you're away.