30 TIME SAVING TIPS

Preparation and Organisation:

1. Tidy desk
2. Be conscious of time
3. Daily list
4. Delegate
5. Say ‘No’ to jobs that aren’t yours
6. Be assertive
7. Set realistic deadlines
8. Give yourself ‘Private Thinking Time’

Dealing with Interruptions:

9. Work out who needs access to you at all times
10. Get your secretary to deal with the rest
11. Ask the person why they’ve come to see you
12. Stand up when they come in
13. Be ruthless with time and gracious with people
14. Suggest you fix a meeting later
15. Make the meeting in the other person’s office
16. Perch on the edge of the desk
17. Save small talk for social time

Meetings:

18. Be conscious of wasting other people’s time
19. Plan the meeting – establish clear objectives; start and end on time
20. Don’t allow meetings to be interrupted

Dealing with the Telephone:

21. Get someone to field calls and have a call-back system
22. Make your calls in blocks where possible
23. Write down the points to raise in a call
24. Be aware of time passing whilst on the phone

Office Systems:

25. Finish one job before you jump to the next
26. Spend five minutes planning your day
27. Get your secretary to screen the mail (if applicable)
28. Handle each piece of paper once only

And Finally:

29. Make use of committed time
30. Put a clock where everyone can see it