will introduce you to the exciting new pivot table features in Excel 2007. Create quick summaries and pivot charts, add impact with traffic light icons, design calculated fields, group dates and numbers.
What’s Your Response Time?
How do you get any work done when the phone keeps ringing and the email alert dings every few minutes?
When I’m in the middle of an Excel programming project, I need to concentrate, or I lose time and momentum. To help reduce the distractions I turn off the email alerts and unplug the phone, then focus on the project for a few uninterrupted hours. It’s amazing how much I can get done!
My clients know that I’m frequently unavailable, either out at meetings, or working away from the phone. If they leave a message or send an email, I’ll respond within 24 hours. On those rare occasions that I’m away for a few days, I warn my clients in advance, and my voice mail gives my return date, so people know when to expect a reply.
In Take Back Your Life
Filed under: Email, Excel, Time Management
Comment from Dave
Time: June 30, 2008, 8:57 pm
When one of my coworkers was out of the office, he would change his voicemail to include the date.
That way, the callers would know that he had actually checked his phone messages that morning.
Comment from Debra Dalgleish
Time: July 1, 2008, 12:28 am
That’s a nice touch — and I haven’t heard anyone do that before. Too often I get the voice mail that says “I’m out of the office until the 10th,” and it’s already the 12th.
Comment from Ken Puls
Time: July 7, 2008, 11:54 pm
I’ve personally never tried to record the date in my voicemail unless I’m going on vacation. I know I’m not disciplined enough to do it every day. And based on the messages I’ve left for people who forget to update theirs, I’d never live it down.
I’m currently trying to block my mornings as “non-interrupt” time so that I can actually get work done. For someone who is a hard core email addict and loves instant notification, it’s a whole new discipline!
I’m curious on the book… is it worth the read?
Comment from Debra Dalgleish
Time: July 8, 2008, 12:36 am
Ken, I do the same with my phone message — no date unless I’ll be away for a few days.
If you subscribe to Books 24×7, you can skim through a chapter there, and see if you’re interested.
As for the book, it has some good info, but I decided to take back my life by not reading the whole thing.
I found the Getting Things Done material easier to get through: http://is.gd/NU2