From Chaos to Control: Find Your Sanity at Work

Do you feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to complete your work? Sometimes, do you feel like you take two steps forward and three steps back? Does your "to do" list seem never-ending? You're not alone! Most office professionals today feel the pressure of too much to do in not enough time – especially in our tight economy when many organizations have fewer employees, yet the same amount of work.

So, how do we move from a chaotic-feeling environment to feeling like we have some kind of control? First, do an analysis of the little things that eat away at your time throughout the day. I call these "Time Robbers" and they are broken into two categories. As you read the list, think about which ones happen to you most often.

Time Robbers

Factors Externally Imposed

• Telephone interruptions
• Meetings
• Social visiting
• Other people’s deadlines
• Unexpected delays
• Mistakes of others
• Paperwork and reports
• Poor communication
• Co-workers with problems
• Responding to crises

Factors Self-Generated

• Lack of good organization
• Procrastination
• Trying to do too much
• Snap decisions that backfire
• Failure to listen
• Inability to say "no"
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of focus
• Lack of creative effort
• No system of self-accountability

Procrastination

Do not keep putting off a task that needs to be done. Tackle tasks promptly. Remember to use this rule: Handle each piece of paper (or each e-mail) only once.

Outside Interruptions

Politely prevent others from disrupting you at your desk. How can you tactfully do that? Try any of these three methods:

• Don’t put down your pen or pencil, and don’t stop working. Don’t relax or fold your arms. Instead, lean forward or sit upright. Glance up only to say “Hello, Bill. How may I help you?” or “Hi, Bill. What can I do for you?” This visually signals to Bill that you are not dropping your work to chit-chat with him. You are acknowledging his presence and want to help.
• Since some people may not get your message, physically do something; pick up the phone and start dialing or turn to the computer and begin typing.
• Be friendly, but direct. Say something like, “Bill, I’d like to talk to you, but I’m in the middle of a deadline. Maybe we can talk at lunch or later in the day.”

Wasted Steps

Save steps. Organize your work logically according to the errands you must do to avoid unnecessary trips back and forth. For example, accumulate items for copying, and plan to go to the copier two or three times per day. Unless something is urgent, you can put it aside for planned trips. You can save even more steps by planning out your errands and making sure you have everything you need before leaving your desk.

Lack of Detail

When given a project or task, get all the information you can at once. This way you will avoid going back several times to the person who initiated the task. People often give us a piece of information rather than the entire picture of their thoughts. Imagine a puzzle. The person providing you with information sees the entire puzzle – the big picture. However, when communicating what is needed, he or she may only give you a small part. This makes it harder for you to do an adequate job. It sometimes creates errors and rework because thoughts and needs have not been defined clearly. Help others give you the details required to perform at your highest level and most efficiently by asking questions and clarifying what you think you heard.

Inability to Say “No”

Of course you want to be helpful, but what if you are already swamped? How do you decide when to say no to a request? Ask yourself if this is part or an extension of your job. If not, is it a way to advance your career or are you being taken advantage of?

Crisis

A crisis is an unexpected interruption or major impact above and beyond the normal day’s events that requires your immediate attention. Expect the unexpected to occur during the day. Head off crises by finding out why things go wrong and learning to anticipate the outcome of events.

Managing Events

Establish some quiet time throughout the day to get yourself reorganized and mentally back on track so you can tackle the day’s activities and events as they occur, planned or unplanned.

Plan Ahead

It is important to take time to plan the next day and next few days. There is plenty of opportunity to be reactive. The more you plan and organize your work, the less stress you experience and the more effective and productive you become.

Coping With Conflicting Priorities

Everyone in the workplace deals with this and it is the number one question I hear from administrative professionals in terms of how to I handle 4 or 5 "A" priorities. So here are my tips; some might work better than others for you. The most important thing to remember is to stay with the "A" priority task before going to a "B" or "C" even though they may take less time or are more fun!

• Ask for specific deadlines – not simply “ASAP”
• Clarify early in the day what is the most important priority for the day (or even do the night before).
• Make deadlines public information.
• Start a log sheet. (Share with others on your team or anyone involved in different aspects of the project.)
• Make your own decision and stand by it.
• Create a “to do” list and estimate time for each item.

Establishing Priorities

A: This item is of extreme importance.

B: This item is important, but could wait until tomorrow, if absolutely necessary.

C: This item would be nice to complete, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

• Categorize tasks into A, B or C. (You don’t have to write a list! Prioritize in your mind and place items in your “to do” folder or tray.)
• Then take the A priorities and decide which is the most important item – the one task that must be done today. That becomes A1, the next most important would be A2, and so forth.
• Always work on the A priorities before going to B or C priorities.

Build Structure Out Of Chaos

Here is a laundry list of other tips and techniques I have used for more than 36+ years and they all work.

• Standardize processes.
• Focus on tasks of high value.
• Clarify objectives.
• Learn to think on paper.
• When given a project or task, get all the information you can at once.
• Establish some quiet time throughout the day to get reorganized and mentally back on track.
• Recognize what time of day you are most productive.
• Excuse yourself from idle chatter after a few minutes.
• Search for alternatives: a simpler, faster way.
• When involved in discussions, stick to the issue at hand.
• Finish what you start; avoid jumping around (multi-tasking).
• Keep an organized workspace.

As a renowned author and administrative expert, Joan Burge has been a visionary for administrative training and development since 1990. One of the first to venture into the administrative-training industry, Joan has become an international administrative expert, trainer, author and consultant. Joan Burge is the founder and CEO of OfficeDynamics, Ltd.

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