Ian's Messy Desk

OCTOBER 14, 2010

Home About Contact Me Links Sitemap 10 Tips for Taking Effective Phone Messages Posted by Ian McKenzie Written on October 14, 2010 If youre new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Write it down on a piece of paper, preferably a phone-message pad. Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe to my blog posts by e-mail.

Phones 100

Phones 2010 Ergonomics Health 100

Professional Assistant Blog

OCTOBER 9, 2008

Use A Phone Call Log! By The Professional Assistant on Thursday, October 09, 2008 Filed Under: MS-Excel , Organize , Productivity D o you find that when you receive phone calls or voice mail messages, you cant remember who called, what time they called, who they were trying to call, etc? Home About Me Advertise Who Called? Whats next?

Phones 100

Phones 2008 Cubicle 2007 100

Professional Assistant Blog

FEBRUARY 19, 2008

Home About Me Advertise Adhering to the "Open Door" Policy By The Professional Assistant on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 Filed Under: Meetings , Prioritize I n my last job, I had my own office. Just remember, if your company has an “open door” policy, please adhere to it.

Policies 100

Policies 2008 Cubicle 2007 100

Ian's Messy Desk

NOVEMBER 10, 2010

name, address, phone number) will be used. Refuse to give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the internet unless you have initiated the contact or you know who you’re communicating with. Six points for consumers : Ask how personal information (eg. Determine whether it will be shared with others.

Credit Card 100

Credit Card Holidays Policies Ergonomics 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 28, 2010

Test you telephone skills with this simple quiz: How quickly should you pick up a ringing phone? Answers Answer a ringing phone by the third ring. If your phone system shows internal vs. external calls, alter your greeting appropriately. What should you say when answering? When is the best time to call someone? and 9:00 p.m.

Etiquette 100

Etiquette Ergonomics Phones Health 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 18, 2010

Schedule tasks appropriately – After lunch is not the best time to read the long, lulling policy eport. Make phone calls, have meetings and other social tasks. If you need a snack, nutritionists suggest low-fat yogurt and fruit.

Ergonomics 100

Ergonomics Health Policies Holidays 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 6, 2010

Phone ringing? When I’m doing important work, I also switch off my phone. Or defer it to a later period. 12 – Block out distractions. What’s distracting you in your work? Instant messages? Text messages popping in? I hardly ever use chat nowadays. The only times when I log on is when I’m not intending to do any work.

Management 100

Management Ergonomics Health 2010 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 25, 2010

Remove everything else - pens, stapler, toys, gadgets, phone, monitor, etc. Sort – everything into boxes/containers according to what needs to be done: file , shred, recycle , refer, toss, etc. Dust and polish - give your desktop a cleaning. This will also reinforce the idea of a “fresh start&# for your desktop.

Calendars 100

Calendars Ergonomics Filing Health 100

Professional Assistant Blog

OCTOBER 31, 2008

Luckily, in my office, we dress in casual clothes all of the time and we do have a corporate policy of being able to dress up in a costume for this event. Check with your Human Resources Department or manager to see if this falls into your corporate policy. Having Trouble Planning A "Non-Religious" Office Party?

2008 100

2008 Cubicle Google Docs 2007 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 9, 2010

If you have an open-door policy, place your back to the entrance, or face away from your cubicle entry to indicate your unavailability. When placing calls, respect the time of other employees by immediately asking if you have phoned at a convenient time or should call back later. Keep the office door closed.

Filing 100

Filing Ergonomics Cubicle Agenda 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 18, 2010

The signature automatically displays at the end of every message and typically contains contact information such as your full name, department, web page, and phone/fax numbers. Create an e-mail signature for all your outgoing mail. It’s like attaching a business card to every e-mail you send.

Email 100

Email Ergonomics Fax Health 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 19, 2010

Don’t answer the phone or e-mail. When it isn’t, explain the impact changing your schedule carries for other assignments. That explanation encourages better planning the next time. Set aside time for yourself Set the first two hours of your day for yourself. Use that time to catch up on work.

Assertiveness 100

Assertiveness Ergonomics Health Gifts 100

Ian's Messy Desk

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Think you can successfully study the details of a report while talking on the phone and reading your horoscope? So hang up the phone, find a quiet place and focus. Boost your brain power with these tried and true tactics: Ditch your multi-tasking ways. Stay organized.

UPS 100

UPS 2006 Keyboards Ergonomics 100

Professional Assistant Blog

SEPTEMBER 5, 2008

The reason I use the latter method is because our company policy is that we cant download any software that IT doesnt approve. There are two ways of backing up your e-mails. One is the easier way, where you download a file; the other is the longer way. You can read my post on 8 Steps to Archiving E-mails , if you fall into this category.

Microsoft Outlook 100

Microsoft Outlook 2008 2007 Cubicle 100

Professional Assistant Blog

NOVEMBER 1, 2007

Home About Me Advertise Cubicle Etiquette 101 By The Professional Assistant on Thursday, November 01, 2007 Filed Under: Office Gossip , Productivity D o you find that your colleagues are hovering around you when youre on the phone? If you need to talk on the phone, make sure that you keep your voice to a lower volume.

Cubicle 100

Cubicle Etiquette 2008 2007 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 2, 2010

Then, you’re back in the office after a long unplanned break: the message light on the phone is blinking; both your e-mail and hard-copy in-boxes are overflowing; last week’s next actions are now overdue; you staff and my manager all want a piece of you; and you just want to go home a crawl back into bed.

2007 100

2007 Ergonomics Health 2008 100

Professional Assistant Blog

FEBRUARY 20, 2008

Your company may have a policy on how they want you to address people in external business e-mail. Your company may have a strict policy on what they want you to include in the signature line and what it should look like, but generally you would include your name, title, company name and address, telephone and fax number. Who are you?

2008 100

2008 2007 Cubicle Fax 100

The Marq

JANUARY 14, 2010

I’ve tried a number of alternates to this on my PDAs of the past and phones, even on the CLIQ. None are as easy to use as any Olympus-brand voice recorder with a handful of (no pun intended) ergonomically-placed tactile keys. I’ve used it enough times to know where all the buttons are and how to work them.

2003 40

2003 Ergonomics Twitter Phones 40

Ian's Messy Desk

OCTOBER 22, 2010

I believe Tony Robbins said that the art of communicating a “word&# or “meaning&# to another human, consists of 3 parts: The written word: 17% – Tone of voice: 34% – Body language: 49% This means an email is very inefficient (17%), while talking on the phone is worth 51% (17+34). That is worth a whopping 100%.

Learning 100

Learning Ergonomics Health Confidence 100

Ian's Messy Desk

SEPTEMBER 29, 2010

Make all your outgoing phone calls at the same time. 5) Plan your phone calls Time spent on a phone call can easily get out of hand if you don’t have a plan in place. Take encouragement or learn a lesson from your past experience and use it to move on to new challenges and opportunities. Organize your errands into a single run.

Management 100

Management 2008 Ergonomics Stress 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 16, 2010

Make all your outgoing phone calls at the same time; organize your errands into a single run; reply to e-mail; etc. For example, if we have to deliver a document at an office and collect a document from another office which is on the same block, both these tasks can be done together. Save time by performing like tasks together.

2008 100

2008 Ergonomics Health Holidays 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 1, 2010

Technology improvements to cell phones and remote desktop computer access can make it possible to work from virtually anywhere. While breaks may seem like wasted time, the rest will ultimately improve your mood, give you more energy and increase your productivity.

Stress 100

Stress Health Mentoring Ergonomics 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 28, 2010

Get a single notebook and use it to record notes, phone numbers, web addresses, ideas, to-dos, etc. Create a list or binder of regularly referenced material, such as phone numbers, and keep it accessible in a desk drawer. Schedule filing time at least once per week. To be more productive, allocate 15 minutes each week.

2007 100

2007 Filing 2009 AT&T 100