Why is it that some people are just so organised? Why do some people excel at business productivity: arrive on time, get things done when they are due, over deliver, out-perform, superhuman calm. And then there is you … always late (or sneaking in at the very last second), working through the night, too many things to get done, sucked in by your email. Not reaching your full potential, overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated.Time is something that happens; you can’t slow down the seconds, but you can make them count. While you can be organised and efficient regardless of your core time style, knowing where you fit in, helps you work with what comes naturally to you. You get more done … without compromising who you are. Simple. The starting point: finding out where you fit in.
Productivity expert, Tracey Foulkes, in conversation on ebizradio.com
Podcast | Click HERE to listen
@getorganised wasn’t that a very cleaver little tip on today’s wall post. The dorky guy made me smile too facebook.com/getorganised1
— Tracey Foulkes (@traceyfoulkes) March 19, 2013
Identifying your time organisation style … which one are you?
Perfectionist:
- You dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to every task
- You like to get projects done in one sitting … even if it means waiting for the right time
- You like to over deliver and can spend hours (days sometimes) gathering information before taking action.
You know you are a perfectionist when: You pay equal and stellar attention to tasks/projects that are urgent and important and not urgent and not important. Unchecked, this could lead to overwhelm and/or fatigue which is when procrastination sets in or equally frustrating … you run out of time!
Procrastinator:
- You put off taking action
- There are always so many other things to do, many of which are more exciting than what you are meant to be focusing on right now
- You notice opportunities slipping through the cracks
You know you are a procrastinator when: You’ve got a full to-do list of high value tasks and you want to take care of the high value ones first, promise, but not until you’ve: straightened your desk, taken out the trash, stroked the cat, dusted the shelves and had a cup of coffee.
Last Minute Racer:
- You work best when the pressure is on
- Pulling an ‘all-nighter’ comes easy to you
- You do your best work when time is tight and the deadline is due
You know you are a last minute racer when: While you might frustrate your team for leaving them hanging, you have a reputation for giving a project your absolute all … albeit at the last minute.
Drop and Hop
- You get bored easily
- You can juggle many projects at one time
- As a strong creative, you have loads of ideas swimming around in your head
You know you are a drop and hop when: You have so many projects on the go, lots of things started but not quite ready to mark off as completed. Your colleagues keep asking you for your great input and to be perfectly honest, while you are not finding the time to get everything done, you love the distraction. “Come in, sit down, tell me about your grandma.”
Detail Dodger
- You are a big picture thinker (and doer)
- You prefer instructions in writing. Bold headings, with bullet points please
- Checking your work, or that of others, makes you tired. Besides, you seldom notice the grammatical ‘faux pas’ and in the bigger picture, is that really a problem?
You know you are a detail dodger when: After listening to a 15 minute instruction of what it is your boss really needs you to do, you struggle to remember more than the desired outcome that was mentioned in his first sentence.
So which one are you and what are your quirks?
