7 Tips for Leaving the Office Earlier

1. Stop participating in the cultural rules. Commit to getting out the door on time. Who decided that you should work until 7:00 p.m.? How much is the time "you're devoting because you're a salaried employee and obligated to do what it takes to get the job done" worth?
2. Start meetings before 4:00 p.m. If you have some say or control regarding meeting times, schedule them to end by 4:30. Preferably, start meetings right after lunch. Block out your calendar beginning at 4:00 every day so people can't schedule with you. And don't ask people to begin projects at 4:45 PM. Respect their right to a life, too.
3. Be assertive. Don't be afraid to tell others, "I leave work at 5:00, on time, every day. I have a 5:30 commitment I must adhere to." It's none of their business that your commitment is with yourself or your family. People tend to support others when their goals are made public.
4. Schedule fixed office hours. If you have an assistant, block off certain hours a few days a week to accept appointments. Perhaps Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you take appointments from 9:00 to 10:30 and 2:00 to 3:30. This way you don't have interruptions overlapping the time you're trying to leave the office.
5. Make preparations to leave. Gather up your coat and put it in a visible spot so others can see you're on your way out. Close your door a few minutes before quitting time so people will think you're busy or already gone. Whatever they want, it can wait until tomorrow.
6. Challenge your assumptions. Long hours aren't "the way it is." To reduce the time pressure you feel, decide to reclaim your day, not by working longer, but to finish your work within the workday. Don't focus on "catching up." You will never catch up. There will always be more things to do than time to do them. By being more productive during the day, you'll get the same amount of work done and leave earlier.
7. Start small. Pick a single day, perhaps Thursdays, to be "the" day you leave work on time. To support this decision, you will automatically begin to be more productive on Thursdays and work your day more carefully. Keep working on productivity skills and adding more days, until you're working your 40-hour workweek again and accomplishing even better results.

Make it a productive day! ™

© Copyright 2005 Laura Stack, MBA, CSP. All rights reserved.

This article may be reprinted provided the following credit line is present: "Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is "The Productivity Pro"® and the author of Leave the Office Earlier. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or [email protected]."

Stressed Out and Sick About It :: Forbes - USA. Just turn on some soothing music. For the person who's weary of running late or missing deadlines, a course in time management may be just the ticket. -more-

Time management difficult to predict in the future :: Plebius Press - USA. Recent research shows that when thinking about the future, people believe they will have more time to do things than they do in the present. -more-

Manage the micromanager, author says :: NorthJersey.com - Hackensack,NJ, USA. Workers believe poor management is the No. 1 factor hurting employee productivity. -more-

Q: Hi Laura,

I've enjoyed getting the monthly update e-zine and this month's I found especially interesting. I copied and pasted the shortcut keys for quick reference! I think your point about being permanently connect to a Blackberry or other communication device is very relevant.

Over the last few months, I've noticed two items in my own experience that have even further heightened both the speed of my communications, and the need for brevity in my messages.

Specifically, I am referring to Instant Messaging and Text Messaging. Although some companies block instant messaging services like AOL, or MSN messaging in their network, many companies have shifted to either allowing them, or opting for a messaging service through the company email system (Lotus Notes, etc.)

As if email wasn't fast enough, instant message is quickly becoming the dominant form of communication for routine day-to-day messages within my office, and at my clients' offices. Boss to subordinate, and even provider to client messaging have become commonly accepted ways to exchange info. In other words, my boss EXPECTS me to be on IM most of the time.

In addition to IM, text messaging is also taking over as the primary means of exchange on many cell phones. Besides the obvious advantage of being able to send messages while in meetings (or at a noisy bar!) there are some subtle implications in how data is transferred and thoughts exchanged in the world of texting. Abbreviations, symbols and even media files are rapidly fired and responded to in real time.

Of course then you can combine the two—as I do now—forwarding my instant message account to my cell phone - and getting an almost endless stream of messages from the time I leave the house to all hours of the night if I leave my phone on. (And since I also use my cell phone as an alarm clock that is pretty much 24/7).

I would love to see a list of IM shortcuts or text messaging tips in your next newsletter! Or of course, would like to know any other thoughts you have on the subject.

Best,

Elizabeth W.
New York City

A: I would recommend turning off your cell phone at night and getting a different alarm clock. You need to disconnect psychologically from work, or you will burn out. But that’s another topic and not the question you asked. J

Here are some common IM shortcuts:

bc (or b/c) = because
bf = boyfriend
cya = see you
k = OK
y? = why
brb = be right back
btw = by the way
g/g (or g2g) = got to go
lol = laughing out loud (or lots of love)
ttyl = talk to you later

Visit http://www.aim.com/acronyms.adp?aolp= for a more complete list. Just be cautious not to let these IM shortcuts creep into your regular language. Using u, r, ur, b4, wuz, cuz, 2, etc. will negatively impact your credibility in formal business writing or emails. Use IM text just for that purpose!

Save the Dates for Our Next Public Seminar!
Presented by Laura Stack, MBA, CSP (in person)

Dates: September 7 & 8, 2005
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: The Bridge Center, Lone Tree Colorado

September 7
"Planning and Conducting Productive Meetings: Making the Time Count!"

Meetings, meetings, meetings! Where minutes are taken and hours are wasted. Today's managers and professionals spend so much time attending them...you'd think most would be trained in how to plan and run them. Not so. Most meetings frustrate employees, because agendas aren't distributed, objectives aren't defined, time runs over, and no decisions are made. Another two hours of your day down the drain! This course gives people who call meetings the requisite skills to plan and execute a productive meeting, and follow-up properly afterward. It also provides the protocols necessary to keep a meeting on the right track, even if you're just attending. You will learn to achieve the objectives of the meeting, in a minimum amount of time, in a way that's satisfying to all participants.

September 8
"Project Management for the Rest of Us: Secrets for Productive Goal Setting and Planning"

Whether you are remodeling your basement, coordinating a social event, or managing a new software release, the competencies and skills of project management are the same. Everyone manages projects at least part-time. In fact, many people in an organization do not have a job; rather, they pursue a number of projects. This course will help you carry out your projects productively with proper planning, scheduling, and monitoring. The complex tools you've heard about in project management are refreshingly absent. The process is simple, and the tools presented do not presume any prior knowledge of the subject. Questionnaires, checklists, and worksheets are provided.

Tuition: Your investment for each workshop is only $295 per or $245 when enrolling three or more individuals for the same workshop. A $100 discount will be given for the second day if you enroll in both seminars.

Registration: On-line registration is preferred. Or you can print the enrollment form and fax it to 303-471-7402 with credit card information. You can also mail a check made out to The Productivity Pro® to 9948 S. Cottoncreek Drive, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130. You will receive a written confirmation of your enrollment. -Register Here-

Participant Materials
You will receive the text Leave the Office Earlier (written by Laura Stack and published by Broadway Books) and a workbook for use as a job aid and reference manual.

No Substitution or Cancellation Fees
Participant substitutions are permitted at any time prior to the workshop. If cancellation occurs ten or more business days prior to the workshop, a full refund is available. If you cancel fewer than ten business days prior to the workshop, we will gladly issue a full credit for future public or in-house workshops.

Other Information:
† To keep costs down and accommodate dietary needs, participants will purchase their own meals. Beverages will be provided.
† You will walk away with your own self-improvement action plan.
† Format includes lecture, small group, large group, role-play, individual exercises, partnering work, and quizzes.
† Dress is business casual. We recommend you bring a sweater or light jacket due to room temperature fluctuations.

Laura,

I enjoyed reviewing your article on using paper organizers vs electronic organizers.

I would point out that using the Treo 600 and now the Treo 650 for almost 2 years, which I believe is superior to any paper method. The keyboard allows easier notes to be taken. I receive office email immediately to the phone and can respond to staff immediately with answers. If staff adds appointments to my calendar I can know immediately. I can also share appointments and other data with my wife thru beaming info to her phone. I can access the Internet and receive paging at the same time. I can also use my Treo to connect my laptop to the Internet (using PDAnet). When I am out of the office at conferences I can still take care of business as needed during meetings or at breaks. I don't have to receive a call during the meeting from staff as they can email me and I can then determine the urgency. I can carry all passwords in secure software on the phone, as opposed to in my Daytimer that anyone can access information. I can copy a to-do list to the next day if it is not completed without having to rewrite it all. In short all data that I need can be in the palm of my hand.

I used a Daytimer for over 25 years and now that I have a Treo I will never go back. My only view is to upgrade with any new advantages as they continue to come out.

Perhaps you can write an article that will help others to know that the PDA technology continues to improve and allows a lot of advantages.

Thanks,
Philip O.
Phoenix

NOTE FROM EDITOR: Thanks Philip! I also love my Treo 600. I can access my email from anywhere and carry my 3500 contact address book with me. But I still prefer paper versions of my calendar and to-do list. Everyone has different preferences, electronic and paper. The trick is to find a system that works for you and use it consistently.