[nukkad] FW: CUT THE CHAOS

[Albert Joseph <>]

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CUT THE CHAOS

Is your office a disaster? Do you spend too much time looking for lost
documents? Have you forgotten what the top of your desk looks like? Here are
some chaos-busting tips:
Email:
*	Be brief. Ideally, the reader can see the header and the entire
message on one SVGA screen. If you need to send something longer, send it
only to those who absolutely must read the whole thing.
*	Respond quickly. The value of the medium is that it allows quick
responses. Don't sit on a message for more than a few days.
*	Tell the story in the subject line. Generic headings such as
Follow-up aren't much better than leaving the header box blank. Take 15
seconds to describe your message precisely so it'll be clear to the
receiver, too.
*	Filter the spam. By some estimates, as much as 15% of all email
messages, and 30% for AOL users, is spam (unsolicited, unwanted, electronic
junk mail). Place a filter on your email or delete without opening it.
*	Use one touch. Handle the email as few times as possible.
		Your options are: delete it, respond to it, or file it.
	Free time:
*	Do what you currently do more quickly.
*	Delegate what you've done in the past to someone else.
*	Stop doing some of the things you do.

	Paper pushing:
*	Stop it before it arrives. Cancel subscriptions to magazines you
don't read, toss junk mail without opening it, and ask to be removed from
routing lists you don't profit from. Do your part to cut down the flow of
paper traffic.
*	Make decisions. Don't pick up a piece of paper until you're ready to
act on it. Then you have several options: recycle, refer, record, act, or
file. Recycle into the trash can.  Refer a letter or document to another
person. Record the information on your calendar or in your appointment book
- then trash the paper. Act on it by picking up the phone and responding or
writing your response on the same letter and send it back. File important
documents in clearly labeled folders.

	Interruptions:
*	Not every interruption is an interruption. Many are a necessary part
of your job.
*	Most interruptions are your fault.
*	Give people the information they need before they interrupt you.
*	Close your door to interruptions for part of the day.
*	Evaluate your interruptions. Keep a log for two weeks and see if
certain people monopolize your time more than others. Ask their help in
keeping you focused.

	Files:
*	Don't file it. You'll likely never look at 80% of what you file
away. When in doubt, throw it out. Ask yourself, If I need this piece of
paper and don't have it, how much trouble will I be in? If the answer is
I'll get fired, then file it.
*	File, don't pile. Get it off your desk so it won't distract you.
*	File in one of two places: action or standing. Action files are ones
you need often and you may want to keep on your desk. Most people have about
10, including things to read, things to file, and things to talk to the boss
or assistant about. The others are standing files that are in a filing
cabinet.

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	Mike Woodruff is a veteran youth leader and management consultant in
Washington state. He is the founder of The Ivy Jungle, a ministry to college
ministers, and is the author of Managing Youth Ministry Chaos.
	Courtesy: Group magazine, copyright © 2000, Group Publishing, Inc.,
Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539



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