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Busy, but not burdened
Workers waste two hours a day on average. Here are ways to get more done - and still go home on time.
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Jenny Corsey, a publicist in Atlanta, practices what she calls the two-minute rule.
"If something takes two minutes or less to do - filing something, making a quick call to get some information, deciding to toss or keep a piece of mail - I do it right then and there," she says. "This cuts down on paper clutter on my desk and helps eliminate the distraction of a towering In box."
For his part, Decker has devised a few simple solutions to control technology. He turns off the audible e-mail "ding" so he doesn't feel compelled to open each message when it arrives. He schedules specific times to read his e-mail - in the morning, just after lunch, and at the end of the day.
He also relies on caller ID. When he is working on a project, he does not answer calls from unfamiliar phone numbers. He lets the call roll over to voice mail and deals with it later.
"Interruptions cost a lot of time," Decker says. "Not only the time from the actual interruption, but also the time it takes you to get back on track and get your mind back into whatever it is that you were previously doing."
Other time-wasters working against productivity include procrastination, ineffective meetings, a lack of clear communication and direction, and office chatter. As one measure of the international scope of the issue, Ms. Stack's book, "Leave the Office Earlier," has been translated into Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Italian.
Stack, president of a time-management consulting firm in Denver, finds that women are slightly more productive than men. They are also more interested in productivity training.
Productive vs. unproductive
In observing men and women on the job over the years, Stack has found that productive people are prepared and focused. "Unproductive people don't have their goals set. They aren't ready for the day when it starts."
She notes other differences. Productive people are able to reduce time-wasters. Unproductive people allow others to interrupt them at whim. They get bogged down in trivial, time-wasting details.
Productive people are orderly. Unproductive people waste time looking for things. They don't have good filing systems.
Productive people are disciplined. Unproductive people tend to do what they feel like doing, rather than what they should be doing. They procrastinate.
Productive people have a level of calm, knowing they are making the best use of their time. Unproductive people may feel concerned that they will never catch up.
Productive people concentrate well. Unproductive people tend to get easily distracted.
In addition to helping people develop better work habits, Stack recommends improving the workplace.
Higher partitions in offices can help. So can noise-canceling headsets. Some employees find that listening to an iPod with their favorite music improves concentration. Others use white noise machines on their desk.
Even telecommuting can increase productivity.
"Many employers are allowing people to work at least one day a week at home, recognizing that when we're at work, there's a lot of socializing and meetings," Stack says.
