I recently read an office circular titled "a thief of time'' and although it was written to be humorous, it wasn't because most of us are guilty of stealing time outright from ourselves or are accomplices to the hidden agenda of allowing others to steal our precious time away. A common complaint I hear from clients is the typical comment of "I'm working harder, putting in longer hours but still can't seem to get caught up with my work-load.'' This is a serious predicament and condition of workers at all levels, administrative, middle and executive mangers, and especially the self-employed. When asked to identify their dilemmas and the major stealers of time, the common responses faced by most were: Interruptions; Not knowing how to say no; Uninvited visitors; Telephone Management; and Time Management Interruptions are going to happen, so plan for them. When pushed for time an interruption of visitors stopping by in the middle of an important deadline can be a royal pain. One way of dealing with an unanticipated interruption, is to immediately ask the intruder to make their point. Remember a minute is never exactly 60 seconds. If you are the manager of a large department, you are often the person at the centre of all decisions and the need to quickly identify a true emergency is important. You need to identify, prioritise, and if possible delegate it to someone else, or ask the person to suggest several workable solutions and get back to you.

We all want to be liked by our colleagues, are fearful that saying no is offensive, and afraid that saying no could possibly push us a notch down on the popularity list. Trust me, it won't! Learning to say no and redirecting the request to a variety of situations can prove helpful. For instance, saying no in a polite fashion with a firm attitude, then offering a possible substitution gets you off the hook of providing the request yourself. Being respected by co-workers for honesty is an earned reward and a much better reflection.

If you have voice mail, don't take calls when on a tight schedule. In making or receiving calls get to the point of the business that is required and save the social chitchat for another time. Whenever possible, leave a voice message with instructions for others to follow. State the amount of time you have by starting your conversation with.... "I only have a few minutes....'' Prepare your objectives before getting on the telephone to avoid stumbling or searching for information needed to properly conduct the call. Be honest with your time management and your work schedule and workload will be accomplished with much less stress.

*** Cindy Swan is a Professional Organizer with over 20 years of office administrative managerial experience and a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers.

Address inquiries to Cindy Swan, PO Box 304 St. George's GEBX or email her at organize y ibl.bm