Start with spelling out the framework, timing, process and agenda in the first few minutes. Many chairpersons cover off timing and agenda quickly, but few lay out the framework and process. The benefit of explaining these two items immediately is the focused attention of those present. Even if people have had an agenda, if the [...]
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Here are some top time tips to get students to return newsletter and permission slips asap: Encourage a ‘rewards’ system so that the children take responsibility for returning them the next day – an end of term tally perhaps? (NO punishments though!) Mention what is required in the weekly newsletter, with a due date. Replies [...]
Continue reading about Teachers’ Time-Saving Tips, and Bureaucracy Highlights »
My son Chris and his family were posted for 2 years to one of the largest military bases in Australia. Writing from there my daughter-in-law, Hayley, shares the following story of bureaucratic time wasting. On getting a licence The other day I went into Seymour (their nearest town) to get my Victorian drivers’ licence. I was armed [...]
Continue reading about A Cautionary Tale Of Wasted Time – Bureaucracy Gone Crazy »
Does spam drive you crazy? Even though I use Spam Arrest - http://www.spamarrest.com/ - as a first-stop filter, and my email programme is pretty good at filtering a lot of rubbish into Junk Email, I’m all too familiar with being deluged with bounce-backs from mail that falsely appears to be from our domain and been sent to false addresses. [...]
Does your desk breed paper every time you turn your back on it? Layer upon layer of miscellaneous paper, magazines, newsletters, invitations to this and that, reports, files and vital tasks you mustn’t forget to attend to? Every couple of weeks, with grim determination and fired by a sense of desperation, do you approach this monstrosity supposed [...]
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Do you find that interruptions are the constant companion of an open plan office? If you’ve been one of my ‘family’ of readers for a while, you’ll possibly already know my thoughts on unmoderated open plan environments, but in case you’re new, or missed my previous comments, here’s the snippet from‘Getting a Grip on the Paper [...]
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A key question for the problem of space and information storage and management is ‘do I really need it?’ And following that, ‘what can I prevent coming into my space?’ Faxes: Get off fax lists of unwanted information. First port of call is to contact the offending company and politely request removal. If they choose [...]
Just because we can send an email doesn’t mean we should! Here’s an example – The planning team of a large institution often work on large collaborative projects. This often requires input from all members. They had been in the habit of sending emails to all members of the team for input and contributions. [...]
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A very large international IT company asked for a course on ‘How to run effective meetings’. It was the weirdest session I’ve ever run; a brilliant example of how not to run meetings. The trouble was, the CEO had a different work ethic to the rest of the company. She’d been sent to Australia from the States to [...]
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Ever noticed that if you focus on a strong desire something relevant almost always happens? (Time-saving tip – be clear on your objectives and you’re more likely to get them!) On a professional trip to Singapore I’d woken up in the beautiful Grand Waterfront Copthorne hotel thinking, ‘I want to learn something new so I [...]
Continue reading about Do We Give Ourselves Enough Parenting Time? »