As everyone (now) knows the point of technology is to provide jobs for social misfits and to justify the teaching of stupidly hard maths in schools. It isn't, as we were led to believe, to help make our lives easier. Or did we really used to get a thousand letters delivered to our desks by the postman every day? No we didn't. But such is what email has become - a relentless barrage of electronic timewasting from the insecure and overpaid. It doesn't have to be that way.
We asked an office guru to list the ultimate top 10 timesavers for parents who work. Not surprisingly emails feature first.
1. Beat the email system. Clear your inbox every day. Arrange set times for dealing with emails, first thing and after lunch. Don't dip in and out. It is more professional to send your emails at the start of the day so to stay one step ahead of the game you should try to prepare texts/emails last thing the day before or even at night at home when the children are in bed if that's your thing. Then send them in the morning.
2. If you find it hard to get your children to do what you want, remember: distraction, distraction, distraction. Invent imaginative stories, games and tasks. Role play is exciting to them and speeds them up – especially when you want them to get washed, dressed and ready for school. If you can make them want to clean their teeth you win. So do they.
3. Cut down on ironing. It's your life. It's too short to iron underwear. Whatever you can get away with not ironing – leave it.
4. Use that magic time when your children are asleep to get things done. It's your duty to spend your time together when you are together. But once your children are asleep you rule the world.
5. Use commuting time, and your lunch hour - that's hopefully why you're reading this - to read important documents and plan your life. Although reading a book is a luxury you often don’t get, reading those Child Trust Fund documents and catching up on domestic admin gives you peace of mind.
6. Shop and bank online when you can. Queues are for losers.
7. Cook in bulk and freeze. It might seem a huge chore at the time but it saves lots of time and panic in the long run.
8. There's only 7. Now that is efficiency.
9. But if you are serious about time saving the must-read book is by the revered David Allen:
Getting Things Done
10. And you fancy a bit of free commuter reading print:
Keep a notebook and pen with you at all times. No more rummaging for bits of paper or forgetting brilliant ideas. Works for me.
Posted by: Oz | 02/17/2008 at 10:41