Scary Office Monsters - Here's How to Defeat Them!

Monster: The paper pile of doom

It haunts your nightmares, it taunts you while you are awake. No one knows exactly what they will find in the paper pile of doom... an unpaid bill, that missing meeting agenda, the menu for the Chinese restaurant down the street? The pile is constantly growing and like a gremlin spawns baby piles that start to take over every vertical surface in your office.

How to defeat it:

The paper pile grows because it is the easiest place to put "stuff and/or it is the default place for things you don't know what to do with.

To defeat the pile of doom you must stop feeding it.

1) Make it easier to file or throw away than put it onto the pile. Try moving your most used files, trash, shredder, and recycle bin within arm's length of your desk. If you are right-handed, preferably put them on your right hand side.

2) Analyze what ends up in the pile. Make sure you have an easy to get to "home" for each of these items (documents you're currently working on, client files, etc.)

3) Stop using the pile as "don't know, do later" pile. Conquer indecision by asking yourself "what do I need to do with this?" and "do I need to keep this?"

Monster: The Bermuda Triangle of computer documents

It's were documents go and are never seen or heard from again. Ever hear yourself say "I know I saved it here somewhere"? You're computer has developed a Bermuda Triangle.

How to defeat it:

1) Decide on the default location for your documents. Items get lost when some things are in "My Documents" and others are on the server.

2) Create broad category folders that make sense for the way you work. Drag your files into these folders. Make sure that there are no duplicate or similar folders names to avoid confusion. Create sub folders if there are a lot of documents in the main category folder.

3) Moving forward, use descriptive file names and save files immediately into the correct folder.

Monster: The never-ending meeting

It's like the Twilight Zone, you're stuck in a meeting that just won't end.

How to defeat it:

1) Ensure the meeting starts on time. Try assessing a "fee" to anyone who shows up late.

2) Appoint someone to run the meeting. When the meeting gets off track have them lead the meeting back to the agenda.

3) Set action items throughout the meeting. Sum up the action items and who is responsible at the end of the meeting. In the next meeting have a recap of the status of each action item to ensure accountability.

About: Erin Hoffman is a Productivity Specialist and the president of Optimum Productivity. She helps busy professionals and businesses save hours each week by showing them cost saving time and email strategies.

Her company, Optimum Productivity, offers company training packages, speaking and individual coaching.
For more information visit http://www.optimumproductivity.com/

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