Little things mean a lot

IN recent years we have seen an amazing growth in technology, the aim of which has been to make us more productive and efficient. In reality, however, most of us seem to be facing ever-increasing demands in both our professional and personal lives.

One of the reasons for this is that we are now much more accessible we can be reached through email, by mobile phone or via voicemail.

Sometimes there seems to be no escape, but rather than let your mobile become the tyrant, you need to take control. Use it to your advantage it's great for emergencies and for letting people know if you need to change plans, but when you don't want it, switch it off. There is always an opportunity for people to leave messages and you can then deal with these at your own pace.

According to a recent survey, email is now one of the top 20 causes of stress. Are you a slave to yours? I used to check mine first thing every morning and before I knew it, I had spent so much time dealing with things that I had yet to tackle any of the important tasks I had on my to do' list. Beware, email can take over your life so decide only to check and deal with yours at certain times of the day.

By constantly responding to demands we are continuously firefighting and reacting, when much of our time could better be spent in planning and managing.

We should be proactive and set aside time each day to work on the things that are important to us, whether at work or at home. Get into the habit of shutting the door, taking an hour at a time for you and your needs and people will soon get used to it.

Be firm with interruptions and tell people when you will be available. Treat your time as you would an appointment with someone else and keep to it.

Are you the type of person who habitually takes work home? Do you check your email there, your voice mail and take work phone calls?

If you make yourself too available in any area of life, people will take advantage of you and will expect you to be there all the time. Some people may need to be on call but if it isn't part of your job, then don't be.

Where do you keep all your contact details, goals and other important resources? It is useful to have them all in one place so you can access them when you need to. This saves valuable time, but if you keep them on the computer remember to take regular back-ups and keep paper copies too. Do not rely only on technology it can, and at some time probably will, let you down.

Finally, be selective about technology. The latest piece of equipment may only be a fad and might not be of any great benefit to you. Read reviews, do your research and consider the cost/benefit chances are that within six months the price will have dropped or the piece of equipment will have made way for the next fad. Used properly as a tool, technology is wonderful but get to grips with it, make it work for you and spend the extra time on you and your friends and family.

I have already had some interest about our Getting the Most out of your Retirement course that WaringWell will be running at the end of March. If you missed the article and are interested email me about this and any other issues at [email protected] or write to me at Heather Waring/Features, Guardian House, 480-500 Larkshall Road, Highams Park, London E4 9GD. Also have a look on the website www.waringwell.com in the news section.

15:33 Thursday 27th February 2003

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