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Twelve Tips for Working More Effectively at Your Desk

January 25, 2002

1. "Write down your ideas.  Do not trust your memory, no matter how good it may be!
2. Set down your priorities before the start of each day's work.
3. Use your high-productivity hours for your top-priority projects.
4. Tackle time-consuming projects in stages.
5. Do not overschedule.  Leave some time each day free for appointments.
6. Concentrate on one item at a time.
7. Take breaks.  Walk around.  Stretch.  Eat lunch away from your desk.
8. Establish a place for everything.  Categorize, file, and store items nearby.
9. Keep paperwork moving.
10. Put limits on visits:
a. Stack stuff on any extra chairs so uninvited visitors have to stand.
b. When chatty people call, as soon as you answer the phone tell them you have only a few minutes to talk.  Politely ask them the point of their call right away.
11. Remove from your desk all papers you are not working on.  This prevents lost or mixed up papers.
12. Handle each piece of paper only once (Emmett, 2000, p.116)."

Reference:  Emmett, R. (2000).  The procrastinator's handbook: mastering the art of doing it now.  New York:  Walker and Company.

How effectively are you working at your desk?

The Procrastinator's Handbook is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/

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Created: 2008-12-13, Updated: 2009-01-07