Do you sometimes feel you struggle with the 'invisible' phenomenon? Do you feel you work hard but aren't really 'noticed'? Or perhaps you don't feel you get due credit? Or perhaps you feel taken for granted?
So what can you do to become a value-added admin? After all, you probably already pretty much run the office, including maybe performing distasteful tasks such as cleaning the fridge, washing dishes, and maybe even replacing bathroom tissue when someone tells you it has run out.
Look back to the last time you felt like you were truly effective. Did certain things help with your success? Did you use tools that helped your efficiency? How about a planner?
The smartphone has forever more revolutionised the way we live and work, hopefully for the better. But for a moment, consider your own technology habits. How has the smartphone changed your life? Has it all been for the better?
How does your 'to-do' list look? Does this question bring tears to your eyes or make you ask 'what to-do list?' Are you desperate to ramp up your productivity, get those reports finished or complete those kitchen renovations? Well, the only thing truly stopping you is... you.
I've known people who roll their eyes when someone mentions 'time management,' and mutter under their breath, "I don't have TIME to worry about time management." The problem with that attitude is that good time management doesn't have to take much time or effort at all. The changes you make in your habits don't have to be huge. Even small changes can make a big difference when added together.
The alarm goes off, and you reach over to slap it quiet. You lie in bed, looking at the ceiling, checking your body. Is that a bit of a sore throat?
If you work in the corporate world, chances are you have taken a time management or productivity class at least once in your life. Chances are also pretty strong that you walked out of those classes feeling like you wasted your time. The grim reality is that a lot of so-called time management courses offer tips for saving time that actually take more effort to implement than they're worth.
Have you ever been put on hold and then couldn't remember who you called? Have you dialled someone and then had to stop and think about the reason you made the call? We are often so busy and wrapped up in our own work that we sometimes forget that a real human being is on the other end of a telephone call.
"Hey Dave, you won't believe what the doctor told me yesterday" is not quite what any of us wants to hear from our table-mate at a seminar, even if the seminar hasn't started yet and even if the statement is not directed at us.