Tag Archives: Work Simply

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Strategies to Simplify: Tip 8: Stop drowning in papers

“Work simply. Live fully.”  This week CMLE focuses on the following work productivity tip from Work Simply, Carson Tate’s popular book.  At CMLE, we’ve boiled down Tate’s wealth of knowledge from Work Simply to a few key points; please see the book for more detail and resources. At the bottom, see links to earlier tips in the series! Let’s all be our best selves….

This week’s activity: Handle your paperwork efficiently

Do you struggle with paper clutter and have trouble locating necessary information when it is needed? These common situations prove Carson Tate’s statement that “Paper management is still important in today’s electronic world – in fact, it is vital.” In her book Work Simply, Tate shares the four steps to take when encountering new paper documents (you may recognize them – they are also the steps of the Email Agility system, tweaked slightly to be relevant to paper files)

Read

Decide: Does this document require some kind of action? If yes – skip to the next step. If no, ask yourself: Am I required to keep this paper for tax, legal, or compliance reasons? When would I need to access this information again? Where else can I find this information?

Act: Choose to complete the action required right now, delegate the action, or create a task to be worked on.

Contain: Clean up the paper chaos – use file folders, cases, baskets, etc. to keep your essential documents together. Tate suggests creating two main categories: Reference and Action, with subcategories in each group.

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Strategies to Simplify: Tip 7: Your space matters

“Work simply. Live fully.”  This week CMLE focuses on the following work productivity tip from Work Simply, Carson Tate’s popular book.  At CMLE, we’ve boiled down Tate’s wealth of knowledge from Work Simply to a few key points; please see the book for more detail and resources. At the bottom, see links to earlier tips in the series! Let’s all be our best selves….

This week’s activity: Take ownership of your work space.

In her book Work Simply, Carson Tate makes the case that “An investment in rethinking and reshaping your work environment can pay huge dividends in increased productivity and happiness.” Ultimately, your work space should reflect who you are, the type of work that you do, and help you achieve your highest level of efficiency.

Recently, you discovered your Productivity Style with a simple assessment.

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Work Simply

Find your Productivity Style for some personalized strategies on making the most of your workspace:

Prioritizer: Try to avoid distractions by using the same color pens, folders, and sticky notes. Minimize clutter in your space by using filing cabinets and shelves.

Planner: Give a label maker a try – use it on file folders, containers, and shelves. Be willing to invest in the exact type of organizational supplies you need, like a specially sized folder for receipts or a certain kind of drawer divider.

Arranger: Use office tools that are visually and physically appealing – you may be energized by using a color scheme. Since you thrive on collaboration, try tools like Skype and GoToMeeting.

Visualizer: Try using unlined paper, notebooks, and large whiteboards with lots of colorful markers and pens. The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” rings true for you, so keep supplies handy in clear containers.

Previous tips in this series

Academic, Check this out:, CMLE, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Special

Strategies to Simplify: Tip 6: Transform your email

“Work simply. Live fully.”  This week CMLE focuses on the following work productivity tip from Work Simply, Carson Tate’s popular book.  At CMLE, we’ve boiled down Tate’s wealth of knowledge from Work Simply to a few key points; please see the book for more detail and resources. At the bottom, see links to earlier tips in the series! Let’s all be our best selves….

This week’s activity: Reclaim your inbox by refining your email skills. 

By making just a few tweaks to your email routine, you can feel in control of your inbox. Take advantage of Carson Tate’s Email Agility System from Work Simply, through which she believes “The faster you can make accurate decisions regarding the content of your inbox, the more time you will have in your day.”

Read
Decide (does this email require me to do something?)
Act (if action is required, then just do it, delegate it, or create a task. If not, delete or file it!)
Contain 

Recently, you discovered your Productivity Style with a simple assessment.

mussels-756488_1920
Work Simply

Find your Productivity Style for some personalized advice for controlling your inbox:

Prioritizer: Take advantage of the Rules feature: Pay attention to patterns of the emails you receive, and write Rules to file them accordingly. You could also try setting a goal of having no more than a specific number of emails in your inbox at any time.

Planner: Schedule specific times during the day to check your email. You could also benefit from using numbers and symbols to organize your email folders so that your current folders of highest importance are at the top and easily accessible.

Arranger: Beware your tendency to overcommunicate, and use the cc: line sparingly. You may also like to try listening to music while you manage your emails, which brings some fun into the process.

Visualizer: Use the tool of color to code your incoming messages by sender or subject (red for your boss, etc) which helps you see quickly which emails require timely attention. Also, minimize distractions by turning off your email notifications.

Previous tips in this series

Academic, Check this out:, CMLE, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Special

Strategies to Simplify: Tip 5: Get it done!

“Work simply. Live fully.”  This week CMLE focuses on the following work productivity tip from Work Simply, Carson Tate’s popular book.  At CMLE, we’ve boiled down Tate’s wealth of knowledge from Work Simply to a few key points; please see the book for more detail and resources. At the bottom, see links to earlier tips in the series! Let’s all be our best selves….

This week’s activity: Implement best practices in completing your work.

Now that you’ve got your Master List of to-dos in one, easily accessible place, you can start knocking items off the list, right? Take a moment and consider these ideas from Work Simply about how to most efficiently complete your tasks, based on your Productivity Style.

Recently, you discovered your Productivity Style with a simple assessment.

mussels-756488_1920
Work Simply

Find your Productivity Style for some personalized tips and tools for carrying out your tasks:

Prioritizer: Put similar tasks together in order to get more accomplished. You may like BaseCamp, a project management tool that integrates with e-mail and allows you to track tasks by project, upload files, and view calendars.

Planner: Determine in advance how much time and effort to devote to a task – and stick to it! Try Tom’s Planner, which uses Gantt chart software and allows collaboration.

Arranger: Protect yourself from the interruptions of e-mails and phone calls to keep your train of thought on track. You may find Collabtive useful, which allows groups to work together on projects and features instant messaging, time tracking, and file management.

Visualizer: Avoid the downward spiral of procrastination, and complete the quick or easy tasks first. Try LiquidPlanner, a Web-based program that helps teams collaborate by prioritizing tasks, making estimates, and managing resources and expectations.

Previous tips in this series

Academic, Check this out:, CMLE, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Special

Strategies to Simplify: Tip 4: The Master To-Do List

“Work simply. Live fully.”  This week CMLE focuses on the following work productivity tip from Work Simply, Carson Tate’s popular book.  At CMLE, we’ve boiled down Tate’s wealth of knowledge from Work Simply to a few key points; please see the book for more detail and resources. At the bottom, see links to earlier tips in the series! Let’s all be our best selves….

This week’s activity: Consolidate your to-do lists into one Master Task List

To get all your to-dos in one place, first you need to perform a “brain dump,” in which you think about everything you need to get done, both at work and in your personal life. In Work Simply, Carson Tate describes this process as “Turning your brain upside down and emptying its contents.”  Then, if you have noticed that your list contains more projects than simple tasks, work to create attainable next steps that aren’t so overwhelming. Finally, keep this list in one place for easy and constant reference.

Recently, you discovered your Productivity Style with a simple assessment.

mussels-756488_1920
Work Simply

Find your Productivity Style for some personalized tools to manage your Master List:

Prioritizer: Try using ruled or lined paper. Some apps that may be useful to you include iDoneThis, which sends out e-mail reminders asking what tasks you have completed.

Planner: You may like using calendars, or Outlook’s task manager. Also try out Wunderlist, an app that allows you to keep all your to-dos in one place, and includes due dates and reminders.

Arranger: Try using Stickies, or the app Carrot, which takes a to-do list to the next level – earn points for completing tasks and get praised (or scolded!) for how many tasks you complete.

Visualizer: Whiteboards or unlined notebooks may work well for you, or try Personal Brain, a mind-mapping tool that works on both PCs and Macs, which links ideas, documents, and sites based on the way you think.

Previous tips in this series