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No matter what side of the political fence you fall, BP failed to take the proper quality control measures. As the weeks pass more information is coming to light how the organization cut corners with safety to keep costs down. Safety is not the place to take short cuts. In the long run this can cost you thousands of dollars and possibly your business. In BP’s case it is running in the billions not to mention what it is doing for their stock value. The ramification of poor quality control is costly. So how could a corporation
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No matter what size your organization doing things as efficiently as possible is not only ideal it is necessary in the new world economy. One area that can be significantly improved is the office. In fact, 60 to 80% of costs associated with providing a service or product to market is administrative. If you were able to reduce these by one third how much could you increase your cash flow?
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Planning is the backbone of success. Not doing it can cost thousands of dollars, man hours and resources. Proper planning can save you money, increase your cash flow and help fulfill your mission. Here is a simple tool to aid in ensuring your success.
- Working Between Departments Means Faster Cash Flow
When you look at a traditional organizational chart it has silos which contain various departments and the people overseeing and working in those departments. In today’s business climate where information is your company’s gold this can be troublesome. Why, because the right hand may not know what the left hand is doing. We have all [...]
Time Blocking For Productivity
I was working with a client this week and we talked about blocking time and eliminating interruptions. Below is a statistic from the National Association of Professional Organizers about multitasking:
“People who multitask are less efficient than those who focus on one project at a time.” Star-Telegram.com
Coming from the keep your nose to the grindstone frame of mind this is a foreign concept. More and more we hear experts telling us that multitasking is a habit we need to change. Our 21st century society and all the technology has brought with it a whole new set of issues that business professionals of the past did not deal with. Just like Pavlov’s dogs, a cue comes we must answer it. Say no to interruptions and yes to focusing on what you need to get done. It is far more productive.
To help you do this, try the following:
• Time blocking
• Turn off your email alert
• Only open your email program when checking email
• Pick three times a day to check email and voicemail
• Give your parameters on your voicemail and email so others know when to expect your answer.
I was watching a video by Eben Pagan of Wake Up Productive and he offered a great tip on helping to prioritize your day.
• 40% on customer creation
• 20% on sales conversion
• 10% on content – what your product is
• 30% on management (time, people, business)
This lets you know what you should be doing during your time blocks for the day. I thought this was a great formula to really give people parameters.
Below is a sample schedule of blocking your day so you can minimize interruptions and still answer email, voicemail and questions from other people. This is just a starting place. Adjust the schedule to suit your needs and workflow. These can be shifted around but the first 90 minutes should be your most important task(s) of the day.
TIME AND TASK
First 90 minutes---Most important task & Customer creation
15 to 30 Minutes---Email, voicemail, questions
Second 90 minutes---Customer creation
15 to 30 Minutes---Email, voicemail, questions
Lunch break---Eat a healthy meal
Third 90 minutes---Sales conversion & content
15 to 30 Minutes---Email, voicemail, questions
Fourth 90 minutes---Management (time, people, business)
15 Minute Wrap---Wrap up you day and prioritize tomorrow
Let everyone know your visiting hours. This way they will collect all their questions and use your time and theirs more efficiently. For those who have a time sensitive job such as a lawyer or an admin in charge of multiple people you can check the email and voice mail for time sensitive emergencies and then start this schedule. If it is not a true emergency then address those messages at the scheduled time.
Please send me some of your techniques that have helped you be more produc