Administrative assistants are vital to every office. Whether you provide support to one executive or a group of people, the workday wouldn't go smoothly without you. This is why saving time is important. To excel at your job, you need to know how to manage every minute of your day. Fortunately, there are plenty of time-saving tips to help you.
Organizing and decluttering your desk is the first step to saving time. If you have a desk filled with papers and office supplies, you likely spend more time finding the items you need than you do working on the task at hand. If you've tried organizing your work space before and it hasn't worked out, try starting from scratch. To do this, take everything off of your desk and out of your desk drawers, and then put the items into boxes. When you need an item, put it back on your desk. Chances are that if you haven't used an item in a week, you probably don't need it.
When you're organizing your desk, it's important to keep your workflow in mind. Saving time is easier if your entire workspace flows properly. To do this, organize your desk drawers by importance. The items you use the most often should be placed in the top drawers, while everything else is placed further away. Also, if you have a lot of paper, try using a left-to-right workflow process. If your work comes in on the left, gets processed in the middle, and goes out on the right, it's easier for you to work efficiently.
Another important step to saving time is managing it properly. Create a schedule each day that maximizes your time and allows you to work efficiently. To plan your daily schedule, take a few minutes each morning to write down a list of tasks that need to be completed. Examine your list to see if any items can be combined, and then determine what the most important tasks are. Keep in mind that you aren't always saving time just because you have a to-do list. Also, learn how to say no to people when you're too busy and try to avoid any distractions.
Once your desk is properly organized and you have a daily schedule, saving time becomes easier. However, be sure to take time away from your desk if you want to stay productive. According to Inc.com, nearly two-thirds of Americans eat lunch at their desks. While it may seem productive to grab a sandwich while you're answering emails, taking a break and stepping away from your computer screen saves you more time in the long run. If you step away from your desk to eat, you're more likely to come back feeling refreshed and will be more productive throughout the afternoon.
Saving time is important for every administrative assistant, but remember that every person has his or her own system. Once you find a system that works for you, saving time and staying productive becomes a natural part of your day.
(Photo courtesy of stockimages / freedigitalphotos.net)
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