The Productivity Pro® Blog by Laura Stack - Time Management, Getting Things Done, How to Be More Productive

A seminar participant shared a great trick she uses for those pesky salespeople who won’t take "no" for an answer:

<< We had an extension set up that goes directly to voice mail so when I get a sales call asking for my boss (I can always tell it’s a sales call), I just say one moment (they think they are getting through), and they are immediately directed to our message that states “Thank you for calling (XXX) Medical Corporation.  If you would like to mail us information regarding your company, our address is… or, if you prefer to fax your information, our fax number is…  Thank you for calling…"  I love it!! They may call me back but….they go right back into my magic mailbox. It works great because I don’t have to waste my time getting them off the phone. >>

Heather M.

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Some of the most unenergetic employees I’ve met in my 15 years of delivering personal productivity seminars are tax auditors in an accounting firm during the off-season.  They are bored during most of the year and then worked to death during tax season.  This constant bouncing back and forth between underwork and overwork has really sapped their motivation and desire to devote energy to their work.  Conversely, the fall is the busiest time of my year, where there’s not much breathing space to be had until November. But I make sure to keep myself occupied productively when it’s slow; in fact, I look forward to those times.

If you are experiencing a slow time, don’t get bored or frustrated until things pick up again!  Take advantage of it and even things out.  Take the time to start those projects you’ve had on the backburner that "you never have time to get to" during the regular season.  Learn a new software package.  Organize your files.  Give away books you’re not going to read again.  Toss users manuals for software and gadgets you no longer own.  When the heavy workload hits again (and you know it will), you’ll be ready.  Shake thyself!

www.TheProductivityPro.com

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I just received a sample product from Cocoa Living called Jot-It, a desktop writing board.  Pretty neat concept.  Takes the place of putting sticky notes all over the place.  If you’re the type that writes on scraps of paper, a corner of your desk calendar, or the bottom of the whiteboard hanging on the wall, this could work for you.  It’s essentially a whiteboard on an angled desktop frame where you write notes to yourself, things to do, a phone number to call, etc., and then erase them with the built-in Expo marker eraser when you’re done.  The clear top lifts up and allows you to put one of several lined templates underneath to keep things neat.  While I wouldn’t use it personally, since I capture notes in my DayTimer(R), it would be good for a "scrapper" to keep all notes in the same place.  It’s a bit large for my tastes, but if you have a large surface next to your writing hand, it could be really handy.  Good for people who don’t have large to-do lists and whose workflow allows them to complete tasks the same day they are received.

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