You studied, you graduated, you even topped your class… and then out into the ‘real world’ you went. Do you ever think it was easier at college? Ever have a desire to go back to being a professional student because it made more sense to you?
When you join the workplace there is a new set of unwritten rules and challenges. To create a productive experience at work here are strategies to apply (that only take 15 minutes) to increase your productivity and accelerate your career.
Create your goals – invest 15 minutes to outline what do you want to achieve in your new role? Ask your manager to share their expectations with you and ask when your performance review will occur. It is essential to know how you are being measured and creating a plan to achieve that.
Create a daily plan – every morning schedule 15 minutes to plan your day to manage your time. Understand meetings you might need to attend, what are your major deliverables for your role and how will you get closer to your goals. This is a time to scan your email, pick up your voicemails and create your ‘to-do’ list – it is about choosing your top three priorities for the day (it is not about doing the work… it is about planning your work week).
Plan tomorrow today – at the end of every day invest 10 minutes to decide what needs to be achieved tomorrow, what meetings are occurring you might need to prepare for, clean up your desk, put away files, wash your coffee mugs and be ready to start a new day fresh.
Time Block – when you are trying to allocate time for tasks and activities to be completed, try to think of your time in 15 minute increments. You can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes if you apply focus and attention – not multi-tasking – 15 dedicated minutes!
Manage Social Media – it is easy to waste time on all the social media sites but it is an important communication tool so spend 15 minutes each day updating status, checking tweet stream, building connections on LinkedIn, Google your name and staying connected. Many employers don’t like to see team members wasting time with social media sites, if you want to use it for personal use wait until you get home.
Check email – it is easy to feel overwhelmed with the amount of email you receive each day. Allocate 4-5 times per day to just checking and responding to email. Turn off all the alarms, bells and whistles and only check it when you are ready to respond. Don’t waste time responding to email all day – you won’t have time to get other work done if you do this – just do it in 15 minute increments.
Pay Attention – when you are new to a company there are many things to learn and new rules to understand. Carry a notebook or your iPad with you everywhere and take lots of notes! Capture advice, wisdom, instruction and process so that you can always refer back to it. Stop checking your cell phone, email and social media- focus your attention on the people you work with – it will make your learning easier and quicker too
Interview successful people – ask people you admire and want to learn from if you can interview them for 15 minutes. During your appointment ask them targeted questions to learn how they grew their career; what do they like to read; what recommendations do they have for you; and take notes, lots of notes!
By applying these 15 minute strategies you will increase your learning, understand office politics and you will increase your impact and effectiveness – now that’s productive!
