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You Are Here: Home - Newsletters - "Get Organized" - Article
All during the 15 plus years that I worked as an executive assistant to executives and presidents of large corporations and small companies, I observed they all had several things in common. One in particular was, every day they would close their office door and instruct that they not be DISTURBED -- no visitors, no phone calls. This period of time would usually last for an hour, sometimes more, sometimes less. This was their "quiet time." If you are practicing this habit, you probably would say this is the most PRODUCTIVE time in your day. If you do not take quiet time, you are missing one of the greatest techniques of time management.
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR QUIET TIME
There are many ways to use quiet time -- working on a speech, writing a report or an article, planning for future business, identifying short and long term goals, designing a marketing strategy, preparing an estimate or contract, or catching up on paperwork. It is a time to REVIEW your goals and lay out a PLAN to accomplish them.
USE IT RIGHT
Quiet time is best utilized during your most PRODUCTIVE time of the day. Schedule the time in your planner, at least one hour. It is an appointment you keep with yourself and are just as COMMITTED to as an appointment with someone else.
PROTECTING YOUR QUIET TIME
If you do not have an office door to close, quiet time is still possible. Let phone calls go to voice mail or ask someone near you to take your calls during that time. Do them the same favor during their quiet time. When others approach you to talk or visit, politely explain that you are CONCENTRATING on a very important project, and could you get back to them LATER. In most cases this works just fine. After a while, others will recognize when not to disturb you. You can also tack a Do Not Disturb sign on the entrance to your work area.
FIT IT IN SOMEWHERE
Occasionally, circumstances or events will overrun your quiet time. That's okay. Try to plug that time into your schedule later in the day. That's the beauty of allowing FLEX-TIME in your daily schedule (a subject for another article).
GIVE YOURSELF A GIFT
Quiet time is a very effective TOOL in your workbox. By committing to quiet time every day, you are being proactive, and taking control of how to make the best use of your time, which is a part of being organized.
Carol Halsey is Founder of Business Organizing Solutions -- and her products are available directly through www.OnlineOrganizing.com. She is a professional organizer, consultant, speaker, and author. Visit her web site at www.PilesToFiles.com. Would you like to reprint this article in your publication -- or distribute it to a wider audience? Click here for reprinting instructions. Want to receive these kind of articles via e-mail each month? Sign up for a free newsletter subscription. Click here to return to "Get Organized" -- July 2002... Add this page to your Bookmarks!
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