Business Productivity Center
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Experts share time management tips for the home office professional
You're standing in the kitchen, nuking a burrito in the microwave and talking to a client on the phone. She's chattering on about a project when suddenly - "ding!" - your lunch is ready.
"What was that?" the client inquires.
"Oh, um, the fax machine appears to be out of ink again," you mutter dismissively.
Sound familiar? You're not alone. A 2007 survey of telecommuters by LSP Consulting and Plantronics found that 73 percent of home-based professionals conduct personal activities while on business calls. Some common tasks include:
- doing laundry (40 percent)
- preparing meals (32 percent)
- using the restroom (a very disturbing 23 percent)
Professionals who work from home may take pride in their multitasking abilities, but is this really the most efficient way to work? Absolutely not, says David E. Meyer, director of the Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan.
"Multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances of mistakes," Meyer said in a recent New York Times article. "Disruptions and interruptions are a bad deal from the standpoint of our ability to process information."
In addition to putting the kibosh on multitasking, home office worker bees can follow these steps to a more productive, efficient workday:
When you rise, prioritize. Christine Durst, co-author of "The 2-Second Commute" and director of research for www.RatRaceRebellion.com, says: "When you sit down at your desk in the morning, make sure you have a well laid-out sense of the priorities of the day. For example, if your to-do list starts with 'buy paper clips' and ends with 'call Smith about renewing contract,' you know you've got to work on prioritizing."
On your list, highlight the tasks that must be completed that day. If it makes sense, prioritize even further with morning, noon and afternoon deadlines.
Schedule regular breaks. If domestic tasks are calling your name, tackle them with time-blocking and purposely schedule 15-minute breaks throughout the day. Just knowing there's a planned break in a few hours will help you stay seated and focused.
Pick up the phone. Lindsay Gibson of VIPdesk says: "Email trails can get confusing and make you less productive. Sometimes, it's best to just pick up the phone and call to get clarification. … A 30-second phone call can eliminate 30 minutes of emails bouncing back and forth."
Don't be a slave to email or instant messaging. OK, this might be easier said than done, but it is amazing how much you can accomplish if you log off of these programs intermittently to focus on the work in front of you. More often than not, it doesn't matter whether you respond to an email instantly or within the same day. Be purposeful about when and how you use these communication tools.
Employ these techniques and soon you'll be wondering what to do with all your free time.
