Not Enough Time To Get Stuff Done? Try Creating It

Are you finding that you don’t have enough time in the day to get your work done? Here are some ideas to help you ‘create time’ in the midst of the busyness.

Change Your Work Hours & Save 6 Weeks!

Imagine! Having an extra 6 weeks in the year to get work done or spend with the family! Are you working from 9am-5pm? That means you are probably traveling to work in peak hour traffic. In many cities, the average commute can take up to an hour each way. If you change your work hours from 9am-5pm to 8am-4pm, or 10am-6pm, you could miss the peak hour traffic and save 30 minutes each way. This amounts to one hour a day, 5 hours a week, or 250 hours a year! And that’s about a 6 week time saving!

Commuting – Time Consuming and Boring? Or Productive Time?

Are you one of the many commuters stuck in traffic each day? Many employees spend 30-90 minutes commuting to work, each way in cars, buses and trains. Do you get road rage? Stressed with the bustle? What a way to start the day – stressed! What if you could use this time to your advantage? If traveling by car, start thinking about what you have on that day, or use a Dictaphone to write a letter. Plan your first half of the day in your mind whilst driving. If traveling by bus, read a proposal or a work brief. If traveling by train, use your laptop to clear some emails.

Look for new ways to turn the time consuming chore of commuting into an invigorating ‘Head Start’ on your day. This will help you save time, and start work in a more focused manner.

Crazy Email Confusion? Or Disciplined Email Habits!

”Answer emails as they arrive, or a few times daily?” Most people answer emails as they arrive. This creates a distraction and can take 5-10 minutes after each email to get focused on work again. Based on an average of 10 emails a day and 5 minutes refocusing time, that’s about 4 hours a week being wasted. 20 emails a day can rob you of 8 hours a week etc.

To save time, only check your emails at set times (i.e. 9am, 11am, 1pm, 4pm), and answer as many emails as you can in 15 minutes. Having set ‘Email Checking’ times will help you stay focused and achieve more.

“Become a ‘Conversation Finisher’, as quick responses are good responses.” When people email you with a question, answer it! Don’t go off topic or get drawn into long-winded discussions. By answering right the first time, you will save time from ongoing related emails. Most email users use the ‘Forward’ and ‘Reply’ button far too much, resulting in confusing conversations, and not getting resolution on issues! Let the buck stop with you and save time!

Spend Time Planning & you’ll Create Time!

Spend 15 minutes at the start of each day planning your priorities for the day. This will ensure you make time to get the ‘Big Stuff’ done. It’s easy to fit the small stuff around the big stuff, but not as easy to fit the big stuff around the small stuff. As a famous quote said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!”

Obey the ‘5 Minute Phone Call’ Rule & Save Hours!

When answering calls, be decisive and to the point. A good method to save time on calls is to have a timer on the desk and start it when you answer the phone. Spend the first minute getting all the info from the caller. Spend the next 2-4 minutes providing answers, info or helping the caller. When you get close to or over the 5 minute mark, start winding up the conversation. Make sure you always end the conversation, not others and you should control your time, not others.

How Long Does it Take to Eat a Sandwich?

Employees are given 30 to 60 minutes for lunch. There is nothing wrong with having a break, but if you’re under pressure for a few days, or need to stay focused on a project, make a sandwich the night before. Be a nerd and bring lunch to work! It takes about 5-10 minutes to eat a sandwich (and homemade always tastes better) but the real saving is time. By eating a homemade sandwich, you’ll save up to 50 minutes a day, or 4 hours a week!

And if we’re really honest, that time would only be spent waiting in queues at cafés or on gossip in the staff kitchen. Make a sandwich and shave 4 hours of stress off your week!

Office Cleaning, Industrial Maintenance - Employ Contractors And Save

Who cleans your offices? Who is wandering around your private spaces with possible sight of your confidential documents? Most companies employ cleaning staff directly. Supervision of these cleaners can be a time-consuming management task. This is the main reason that an increasing number of companies are choosing to employ specialist, cleaning contractors to maintain their office environment.

You will find many companies that specialize in cleaning offices. These companies may employ personnel who have security clearances and have been trained in using heavy duty carpet vacuuming and cleaning systems. Commercial cleaning systems can achieve far higher dust removal and hygiene standards than those generally available in retail outlets.

Industrial cleaning contractors who specialize in cleaning equipment and plant are fewer in number. There are a few national companies and you will also find local businesses that specialize in this area.

If a company is carrying food in tankers, flour, for example, the tankers will need to be cleaned by specialist and certified companies. Road tankers and storage tanks for chemicals and oil products need to be cleaned to ensure the integrity of the manufacturing process. Only a company specializing in tank cleaning will have the special equipment and certification that are necessary.

Another specialist area is in the removal of lime-scale from the heating elements of boilers and hot water systems. If these are not cleaned regularly there will be significantly increased running costs to bear. Again these are specialist jobs, requiring specialist chemicals and personnel trained in their use.

It is not a good use of capital for any company to train and retain its own maintenance department, when there are external contractors who will do the job for a fair price. The contractor can offer a low quote for a job because their equipment and personnel are kept busy and you will not be paying the costs associated with under use of resources.

Office Plants For A Healthy & Happy Workplace

It is difficult to completely control the indoor climate in an office. It can easily become too hot, too cold, too dry or too damp. Furthermore, it can never be perfect for everyone: what one person finds too hot is too cold for someone else.

In addition printers, copiers, computer monitors, floor coverings, paint and wallpaper release substances into the air which affects the quality of the indoor climate.

The potential consequences of poor air quality are well known: irritated eyes, headache, skin complaints and dry membranes in the nose and mouth. This is not only unpleasant, it is also unhealthy.

Dry throat? Burning eyes? Recurrent headaches? Plants improve your working environment all year round

In winter, when the heating is running at maximum, it is the lack of moisture in the air which causes problems. Most people find a relative humidity of between 30% and 60% pleasant. But many offices do not even achieve the lower level of 30% in winter months. It is no fun indoors in the summer either. Sealed climate control systems with non-opening windows means that you cannot control the environment yourself. Even in offices with the latest climate control systems, more than a quarter of the staff are dissatisfied with the temperature or the humidity.

Yet you can easily improve the indoor climate buy using plants! Plants help create a healthy indoor climate and a happier workplace. Not only do they put water vapour back into the air, they also absorb heat and filter dust and harmful substances out of the air. Some indoor palms give off a lot of water, and sword ferns and gerberas cleanse the air of the formaldehyde released by building materials, paper and furniture. Other good air-purifying plants are the rubber plant, English ivy and date palm.

Which plants?

Different plants have different effects - some purify and some humidify the air. Plants with a high level of water consumption can increase humidity by to 15%. Recommended plant types to purify the air are: Parlour Palm, Kentia Palm, Ficus, Ivy, Boston fern, Philodendron, Spathiphyllum and Mother-in-law's Tongue. Recommended plant types to humidify the air are: Ferns like Boston fern, African Hemp, Cyperus and other grasses, Spider plant, Bamboo and Spathiphyllim

Fewer complaints & less illness

The effect of plants in the workplace has been the subject of repeated scientific investigation. Time after time the conclusion is the same: plants work! One study looked at the effect of plants on the health of staff in the radiology department of a Norwegian hospital. Once plants were placed in the department and artificial daylight was introduced, the level of health complaints amongst those studied fell noticeably. This resulted in a permanent reduction in absence due to illness from 15% to 5% within 6 months. The instances of the following complains fell by a significant percentage:

Symptom Reduction in complaints (%)
Eye irritations - 15%
Dry throat - 31%
Fatigue - 32%
Cough - 38%
Headache - 45%

More plants - less stress

The presence of plants does not just affect the indoor climate. Researchers have discovered that a view of greenery can result in a demonstrable reduction in stress within five minutes. Research in the Netherlands has shown that people who spend more than four hours a day working at a computer monitor feel better and are more productive with plants in the workplace!

The green view

A green indoor environment
Companies are increasingly willing to accept that they have a key role to play in protecting the environment and the welfare of their employees, and therefore often strive for a 'green' image. Presenting such an image starts with a healthy indoor environment. Plants at work fit perfectly within the area of company policy which nowadays is labelled ‘health management’. As an employee, you can hold your employer to account on this.

Improve your workplace

Anyone wishing to do themselves, their colleagues and their business a healthy favour will ensure that there are plants in the workplace. This guarantees a better working atmosphere, but above all a healthier climate in which to work. The benefits for employers are also substantial: less absence due to illness and better performance.

Office Team Building Exercises

There are many different kinds of office team building exercises that can be used to help improve your company’s internal communications, morale, trust, and cohesiveness. Team building exercises are undertaken in a spirit of fun, but also play an important role in strengthening your ability to function as a unit.

Team building exercises can be used occasionally, such as to augment your annual general meeting, or on a more regular basis to help maintain productivity. They can also be used as a form of crisis management, such as to help address fears during a period of change, or as a response to a need for radical restructuring in order to meet the challenge of a new competitor, for example. Team building is useful for introducing new employees, strengthening ties between existing staff, or as a fun way to bring together individuals who don’t often interact.

Having your team members work together in any endeavor that takes them out of the ordinary office realm can be an interesting exercise in communication and cooperation. To facilitate this, consultants often organize activities that use arts, sports, games, or any structured form of interacting that requires teamwork. In some cases this creates a visible, or otherwise tangible example of what you can accomplish together – such as each person playing a percussion instrument that all together creates a piece of music; linking arms to create a chain that demonstrates the importance of each individual link, and so on. In other cases, the activity requires brainstorming and the combined effort of all to solve a problem.

The dual purpose of having fun and learning together makes for a day that is relaxing and enjoyable in itself, as well as providing lasting results as you develop your skills as a team. A large amount of research has gone into the development of specialized programs, books and services that can help your company achieve its productivity goals and improve employee relations. The wide variety of creative solutions offered includes everything from cooking together, to outdoor adventures, scavenger hunts to simulations of extreme sports… Take some time to explore the possibilities and find new ways to enhance your office environment.

Browsing the websites of consultants is a good place to start to find some fun ideas you can implement yourself, or with the help of a professional. Most programs are designed for maximum flexibility and can be tailored to meet the needs of almost any group, large or small. Incorporate some creative team building into your next boardroom meeting, or be extra adventurous and arrange for some outdoor activity. The return on investment is not something to take lightly. The benefits of maintaining an enjoyable work atmosphere includes improved mental and physical health, higher productivity, and more. Find out what the right team building exercises can do for you.