The Four Hour Workweek recommendation

One of the things I like to promote is learning time efficiency and increased productivity. If we can get more things done and stay focused to complete these tasks, we can have more free time, away from the computer enjoying a healthy worklife balance.

There is a fantastic book called “The Four Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferris. There are some wonderful tips and tools that are very innovative for today's work world and vast worldwide network.

 Here is something from the book that I really like:


Anything that prevents the start to finish completion of a critical task are considered principal interruptions:
1. Time wasters: those things that can be ignored with little or nor consequence. Common time wasters include meetings, discussions, phone calls, web surfing, and e-mail that are unimportant.

2. Time consumers: repetitive tasks or requests that need to be completed but often interrupt high-level work. Here are a few you might know intimately: reading and responding to e-mail, making and returning phone calls, customer service (order status, product assistance etc.), financial or sales reporting, personal errands, all necessary repeated actions and tasks.

3. Empowerment failures: instances where someone needs approval to make something happen. Here are just a few: fixing customer problems (lost shipments, damaged shipments, malfunctions etc.), customer contact, cash expenditures of all types.

Here is a look at a prescription for number one: (I have edited a little bit, and encourage you to buy the book!)

First, limit e-mail consumption and production. This is the great single interruption of the modern world.
Turn off the audible alert if you have one on Outlook or a similar program and turn off automatic send and receive, which delivers e-mail to your inbox as soon as someone sends them.

Check your e-mail twice per day, once at noon or just prior to lunch, and again at 4 PM. 12 PM and 4 PM are times that ensure you'll have the most responses from previously sent e-mails. Never check e-mail first thing in the morning. Instead, complete your most important task before 11 AM, to avoid using lunch or reading e-mail as a postponement excuse.

Before implementing the twice-daily routine, create an e-mail auto response that will train your boss, coworkers, suppliers and clients to be more effective. Speak with your immediate supervisor propose a trial to the approach for one to three days.

A sample might look like this:

Greetings friends,

Due to high workload, I am currently checking and responding to e-mail twice daily at 12 PM Mountain and 4 PM mountain.

If you require urgent assistance that cannot wait until either 12 PM or 4 PM, please contact me via phone at–––––.

Thank you for your understanding this move to more efficiency and effectiveness. It helps me accomplish more to serve you better.

Sincerely,
Your name here

 For more tips, please check out this book, again it is a fantastic tool chocked full of tips and tricks!