Ian's Messy Desk

OCTOBER 27, 2010

Prepare budget and plan projects: Figure out how much you are able to spend. Last year, I posted a Christmas planning checklist to use starting in November. Here’s a simple checklist to help you organize your Christmas holiday celebrations. Sit down with the family and decide who does what.

Gifts 100

Gifts Holidays Clothes Ergonomics 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 25, 2010

Use the right tools: Set a timer for the length of time you have decided to work on this project. Make an appointment - Don’t just hope you find the time to clean up, set a calendar entry and stick to it. Boxes or storage containers to use for sorting. Garbage/recycling bags or box for shredding.

Calendars 100

Calendars Ergonomics Filing Health 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 16, 2010

Tom Peters’ “Top 41″ quotes and other free stuff – the Top 41 quotes are a project from 2006 that are compiled in a PDF and offered —along with a load of other free Tom Peters’ material— for download. World’s best quotes in 1-10 words – 10 quotes that are less than 10 words.

2006 100

2006 2007 PDF Ergonomics 100

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 23, 2010

It could be giving a project update at a staff meeting, selling your product to investors, or speaking to the board of directors. What you do is see yourself as being in a dream and all the “other people&# there are just projections of your own mind that you’re creating and then that allows you to totally relax.

2010 100

2010 Ergonomics Health Gifts 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 28, 2010

For further reading: The 10 Commandments of Email 3 Tips for Writing Business Email 4 Tips for Basic E-mail Management Related articles by Zemanta E-mail ettiquette–Jasmine’s Tech Dos & Don’ts (reviews.cnet.com) Guide to Ensuring Good Communication in Projects (business-project-management.suite101.com)

Ergonomics 100

Ergonomics Email Health Forms 100

Ian's Messy Desk

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

He turns to you and says, “Ian, you’ve been working on our major project for the past year. Maybe you could say a few words about how this project got started, where it stands and where it is going.&# I don’t have a formal presentation but would be happy to describe the project we’ve been working on.&#

2008 100

2008 Ergonomics Health Holidays 100

Ian's Messy Desk

AUGUST 4, 2010

Others carry on self-directed learning in recreational arts and hobbies, matters of health, family and community, or simply to increase their intellectual resources. Not all projects or undertakings are created equal. It is a continuous process, often informal, and an important factor in lifelong learning.

Telecommuting 100

Telecommuting Ergonomics Health 2006 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 10, 2010

A 35 page step-by-step manual for optimizing Notes as a personal productivity tool. Great tips and tricks for productive use of the To Do’s, Calendar, Email, Contacts, and more.

Ergonomics 100

Ergonomics Calendars Health 2006 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 26, 2010

Related articles by Zemanta Beyond Business: Making Quality Creative Time (freelanceswitch.com) 7 Ways to Increase Creativity in America (myventurepad.com) Teaching creativity through tasks and projects (politics.ie) Are kids getting less creative?

Ergonomics 100

Ergonomics Health Restaurants Gifts 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 19, 2010

If you have a special project, set aside a day as “Do not disturb” time, so you can complete the project. Use that time to catch up on work. Once you establish a pattern, co-workers will learn to respect that time and not disturb you. That will give you the confidence to manage your work assertively.

Assertiveness 100

Assertiveness Ergonomics Health Gifts 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 13, 2010

Create a chart that shows the projects you are handling and the time required to complete them. When urgent requests come in from various sources and you’re already pressed for time, how do you handle them? Here’s four tips: Show how much is on your plate. It can be as complex as a Gantt chart or as simple as a pie chart.

Management 100

Management PowerPoint Ergonomics Health 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 31, 2010

You can plan a major project, set all the steps, plan dates for the deliverables and then stress over all that needs doing. Set your focus: Once you know where to begin, focus on that task. If you try and focus on more than one thing at a time, all things will suffer. Delegate: You can’t do it all yourself. Get the team involved.

Stress 100

Stress Management 2010 Ergonomics 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 7, 2010

For those days when you need a block of uninterrupted time to work on a project, here are five tips to help you control drop-in traffic. If yours is an organization that encourages less-formal communication, you may find people dropping by to discuss anything from last night’s big game to next week’s big presentation.

2007 100

2007 Ergonomics Health 2010 100

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 9, 2010

Lynn was tapped to head up the project team for a major company restructuring. Yet, given the importance of this project, his casual approach concerned her. She began her first team meeting by delegating steps and due dates to the various department heads. Lynn knew Bob was a competent guy.

UPS 100

UPS Filing Holidays Health 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 2, 2010

Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.

2007 100

2007 Ergonomics Health 2008 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 1, 2010

The chance to direct a team and co-ordinate projects can be very challenging, yet rewarding. Burnout also negatively impacts your health. As well, it’s always a good idea to budget more time and resources to a project than you think is necessary to lessen the stress of unexpected setbacks. Put your health first.

Stress 100

Stress Health Mentoring Ergonomics 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 16, 2010

Projects that will take weeks or months to complete should be organized and tracked in a different way. When we talk about preparing a to-do list, there are a couple of helpful points to remember: The to-do list should be realistic. Don’t include more on your list than can be accomplished in a day. Prepare more than just daily to-do lists.

2008 100

2008 Ergonomics Health Holidays 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 28, 2010

Don’t leave half-completed projects sitting on your desktop. Don’t leave half-completed projects sitting on your desktop.&# ), I’d never get around to finishing anything. Every morning, pull out the folder for the day and place the contents into your inbox. Then it is right at hand when you need it.

2007 100

2007 Filing 2009 AT&T 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 14, 2010

Therefore, since you can’t control where your help or assistance is coming from, you must establish a blanket policy of giving with complete confidence that it will come back to you in the most wonderful ways. I empower women in slums and rural areas with skills for entrepreneurship and and also do feeding projects for poor children.

Networking 100

Networking AT&T Health Policies 100

Ian's Messy Desk

SEPTEMBER 29, 2010

If you know a project will take 2 hours, add another 30 minutes to buffer for time lost to interruptions. This is a more efficient use of your time. 3) Count on Interruptions No matter how well you organize your schedule, there will be times when interruptions get in the way. Identify periods of interruptions.

Management 100

Management 2008 Ergonomics Stress 100