If you think back to your physics lessons, you’ll remember that something in motion tends to stay in motion – but something that starts and stops loses its momentum.
This is exactly what happens to you when your work day is constantly interrupted by calls and meetings.
- Structure your telephone time. Set up times to accept, initiate, and return calls. The best time to accept incoming calls is just prior to lunch or at the end of the workday. The other person will not want ot wast time. Initiate or return calls early in the morning, just before or after lunch, or at the end of the day to contact difficult-to-reach individuals.
- Scheduling meetings with yourself is a good way to accomplish key objectives. How can this help you be more effective with your use of time?
- Improve your communication skills so you reduce the need to repeat yourself.
- Cut your appointment time by one third. Each one-hour meeting will now be only forty minutes. Schedule phone meetings that will last only five to fifteen minutes. You will be surprised by the fact that you can actually accomplish your objectives in this limited time. List two or three current meetings in which you will try this strategy.
- Conduct “standing meetings.” When someone enters your office, consider conducting your meeting in a standing position. This will let the person know that you have very limited time. Also consider a “walking meeting,” in which issues are discussed while walking.
- Product greater results through others by mastering your leadership, management and coaching skills.
EXERCISE: Keep a daily Meeting/Call log to determine the number, nature, duration, and relative value of your meetings and calls. Determine which meetings require more or less effort and perhaps which meetings could be stopped entirely.
