TIPS TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE

Organisation can make up for all kinds of weaknesses in other aspects of life. Try a few of the below for a week or two   and see what difference it will make to your life. 

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate – If ever in doubt, communicate your intentions, achievements and perceptions to keep others informed and to avoid misunderstandings. For example, always reply to e-mails so that the sender knows you’ve received them and are taking necessary action. If you are late to a meeting, phone or text the person you are scheduled to meet to let them know. 

2. Battle procrastination – Spend five minutes trying to tackle the job you are reticent to undertake. Typically, you will find you get involved in the job and don’t want to stop until you are finished. 

3. Keep a diary - of appointments, necessary actions, and achievements. At the least, start everyday by formulating a ‘To Do’ list. This will keep you on top of necessary actions, and will help you plan your day and use it as effectively as possible. 

4. Be prepared – Always go to a meeting having read the document to be discussed and make hand written (or even better typed) notes to take with you. This will impress your colleagues and vastly improve your contribution to the meeting. 

5. Keep important documents to hand -Ensure you get copies of all important documents of projects you are working on. Who knows when you’ll need them. When working on a computer, always create duplicate copies of your files, with the same files on both a hard drive and a flash drive.

 6. Organise your documents – Even if it’s just in piles relating to topics (files are better). This will make it easier to access the documents when you want them and keep track of what you have. And don’t stop there. When working on a report, different drafts should be titled. Organise your desk!! 

7. Always take a pen and paper (or even better notepad or diary) with you - 

Whenever you have an idea, write it down. Some of our best ideas are lost because we don’t write them down. 

8. Multitask – Always carry additional work with you when going to meetings or when travelling. There will be many occasions where you may be waiting at a location external to your office. Having something to read or analyse will make that time useful, and will mean less work when you get back to the office. 

9. Take a few moments everyday to reflect - On the challenges and successes of the past few days. That is, aside from prayer, think through why something is troubling you and what potential solutions are. Similarly, why are successes successful? How can you utilise these lessons in other parts of your work and life? 

10. Read and bring yourself up - The best teacher is the student himself/herself. Find out where you can access learning resources and seize the opportunity

-BE INSPIRED