Lighten Your Work Load
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STUPID FUN
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Follow these easy tips and slash the number of hours you spend in that wasteland called the office.
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 Outsource Away
America seems to be outsourcing everything to India, so why not get in on the act and pay an MBA in the subcontinent $5 an hour to do your work for you? Sites like elance.com, asksunday.com, and odesk.com can put you in touch with “Bangalore butlers,” who take care of busywork; you can also have a virtual concierge service arrange travel and handle scheduling. “Anything that can be done by phone or the Internet can be delegated,” says Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek. Even better, a faraway secretary won’t refuse personal requests like making dinner reservations or scanning match.com profiles.
Consolidate and Conquer
Standard to-do lists are bush league, and people waste more time keeping mental tabs on their projects than crossing ’em off. “The brain’s like a PC,” says Mark Joyner, founder of simpleology.com, an online management tool . “If you have 20 windows open, everything slows down and eventually crashes.” Instead of making one master list, take 10 minutes to separate what must be done today—write that proposal, arrange meetings, find a kidney donor—from a short list of projects that can wait. “Don’t procrastinate by doing trivial things,” says Ferriss. “You should only have one or two primary to-dos on a given day.”
Break the Banter
Listening to a coworker recount his most recent pub crawl isn’t helping you get anything done. “People will consume your time to the extent you’ll let them,” asserts Ferriss. To tune out distractions, wear noise-reducing headphones whenever possible while at your desk. If a coworker approaches you for something, nip the inane chitchat in the bud by replacing open-ended casual openers like, “How’s it going?” with a quick, “Hi, what can I do for you?” You may come off as an ass, but you’ll be the ass who bangs out three times as much work as everybody else and still leaves the office in time for happy hour.
Get to the Point
Writing a response to a business e-mail should take as long as a ride on the office elevator: 20 seconds. “Get back within 24 hours to acknowledge receipt, but keep your messages extremely brief, along the lines of ‘done’ or ‘on it,’” says Stuart R. Levine, author of Cut to the Chase. “Soon e-mailers will take the hint and send similarly short messages.” If possible, set up an auto-responder explaining that you’ll only be checking e-mail at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and that you’re available via the phone for urgent matters. “People will reassess the importance of what they’re e-mailing you,” says Ferriss, “so they’ll e-mail you less.”
Your Life, Unplugged
We are a nation of communication addicts. Here’s what happens if you break free.
Habit: Constantly checking personal e-mail at work
How common? 60% surveyed
Time you could save by quitting: 20 minutes per day
So now what? Jog two miles every morning.
Habit: Reading BlackBerry messages as soon as they arrive
How common? 59% surveyed
Time you could save by quitting: 15 minutes
So now what? Watch the first half of your favorite Scrubs episode.
Habit: Checking work e-mails when you’re on vacation
How common? 83% surveyed
Time you could save by quitting: Two hours
So now what? Build a split-level pillow fort in your hotel room.
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