I want to ask you what your approach is to staying organized and communicating efficiently, especially with your colleagues.
To enhance efficiency and show respect for my colleagues, I believe that sharing our intentions with them benefits everyone. I adopted this approach when I started at my new company.
My colleagues and I use this method, utilizing MS Outlook. I understand MS Outlook is just an enabler, and trust and transparency are among the most critical components of human relationships in the workplace. Still, this technique helps me stay on top of tasks and ensure that people on our teams are informed.
To adjust free/busy permissions in MS Outlook, follow these steps:
1. Go to the 'File' menu.
2. Select 'Options.'
3. Click on 'Calendar.'
4. In this section, you will find the option for 'Free/Busy Options.' Here, you can set permissions for your organization, allowing them to view your details.
Moreover, under 'Other Free/Busy Options,' you can specify the period for which your free/busy information will be accessible, such as several months (in the future).
I like Carl Newport's article in the New Yorker, "How to Have a More Productive Year."
The article offers a valuable suggestion for creating an effective plan.
Key takeaway: One unconventional way to improve our plans is to simultaneously create them on different timescales.
Thank you for the tip Maria! I frequently use these options to indicate my working and lunch hours, meaning when I am unavailable. It works well for me; if someone needs me during those times, they know to ask. Similarly, I also include my vacation periods and specify who to contact in case of urgent matters.
Regards!
Thank you, Francisco.
The "at lunch" notification is essential for physical and mental well-being. At the same time, you demonstrate how to manage stakeholders' expectations effectively by informing your colleagues when you're unavailable. Saving Changes...
I stay organized by creating a weekly task list broken down by day. There is nothing more daunting than a long, seemingly endless "to do" list. But by assigning tasks to a specific day of the week, it feels more achievable and less overwhelming.
I also don't hesitate to add completed tasks to my daily list to bolster my sense of accomplishment when the day doesn't go according to plan (which happens all too often).
And when tracked electronically, it's easy to push an incomplete task from one day to another.
Hi Karen,
Thank you for sharing your practice of keeping a weekly to-do list. Statistics indicate that, on average, people have around 15 ongoing goals and projects at any given time. That’s quite a lot to manage, as each goal has milestones. To-do lists are appealing because they help us offload some of that mental burden.
I love how you celebrate your accomplishments because celebrating small wins keeps us motivated. A 5th-century Chinese proverb says, "A journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step."
Thank you so much for sharing your approach to staying organized and communicating efficiently! I really appreciate the tip on adjusting free/busy permissions in MS Outlook - it's a small change that makes a big difference. Your commitment to transparency and trust in the workplace is truly inspiring.
Here's a question that came to mind as I was reading your post: How do you think we can scale this kind of intentional communication and organization across larger teams and organizations, to create a truly collaborative and productive work culture?
Thank you for your question, Pravan.
I understand the challenges that come with scaling intentional communication, and I believe it starts with a fundamental shift in mindset among senior leaders. It's essential to foster a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety, as this creates a supportive environment for everyone involved.
A transformational program can help us all work together more effectively, encouraging cross-functional collaboration and allowing team members to agree on a standardized way of working. An important item on the agenda could be establishing mutual respect among team members, such as blocking our time for focused work, lunch breaks, and meetings with both internal and external stakeholders. Saving Changes...
I'm a huge fan of blocking off time to respond to emails. I block 1hr a day the end of the day to respond to emails.
Also, I try not to do have very important meetings back-to-back. I typically leave a 15-30 min buffer between important meetings so that I have to collect thoughts and review notes between meetings.
Hi Keith,
I like your approach to having a 15-30-minute block between important meetings to prepare for discussions with our stakeholders. This way, we demonstrate respect for their time. Saving Changes...
I agree with your point that using tools to manage relationship helps to stay organized.
For me, what I usually do is to set my status as "Away" or "Busy" on MS teams to refresh my thoughts for the rest of the day. I also use that time to attend to some other messages I could not attend to because of meeting.
Hi Taiwo,
Thank you for sharing your way of working.
I like your approach. It's important to stop and reflect on important conversations during the day. Saving Changes...
Head of International Project Management Office| Deutsche TelekomPraha, Czechia
Hi Maria,
thank you for sharing your hints regarding better communication and better time management. I absolutely agree with you that we should allocate some time and make it visible in the calendar. This allows everybody to better manage their time. Another thing that I do, is to clearly highlight those emails that I do not answer immediately (for further deep dive or for other reasons) as not read. I then come back later on to them,, in order to give an answer to every email that is directed to me (not in copy). Saving Changes...
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