6 Ways to Leap into a Productive 2019

This last week of the year, placed comfortably in between two big holidays, is a sweet spot for those who still have regularly scheduled work hours. You have the rare luxury of low email traffic, a casual tone to the office due to employees still out for the holidays - possibly even your boss. With all the normally noisy tasks functioning at a low hum, you are able to breathe a sigh of relief and construct your day with an ease of comfort that you may not normally experience throughout the rest of the year.  

So how will you spend your time? It is tempting to relax back in your chair, take your time completing only the tasks you deem most important, and possibly even browse a few end-of-the-year sales from your desktop or mobile phone. However, what you may want to consider are your goals for this new year and taking advantage of this rare opportunity to get ahead of the hustle and bustle, and make a good impression (if anything, for that raise!) by setting yourself and your team up for success in the new year. We have a few ideas to bump you into that grind mode! 

1. Clean-Up Unused Files

Nothing sets you up for a productive year like a clean slate - or at least as clean as you can get it! Take this time to browse through your files, including electronic files and determine what should stay, and what should go. Set up folders to organize your most important information and others that are less important or rarely used. Consider renaming files in the most efficient manner, to make it easier to search for them if the need arises. Keep in mind that you should review your company’s retention policies and particularly whether there is a timeframe in which you must keep certain files before destroying them.  

2. Give Your Resume a Facelift

This does not only apply to those who are actively searching for new employment. Keeping an updated version of your resume by adding in new key responsibilities, skills, job titles, workshops you have attended and so on, is a best practice. At the end of the day, you never know what may be in store for your future, or the future of your company. No matter if you are in good standing with your role, you never know when a reorganization, consolidation, acquisition or boss leaving the company could suddenly put your role in jeopardy.

 3. Update Your Email System

Messages can pile up in your inbox like dust on a top shelf. Before you know it those emails could bury you alive, especially during high traffic times like the holidays - or vacation! Do you receive over 100 emails a day? Take this opportunity to create folders that will efficiently route messages to appropriate places, making it easier for you to sort through your mail but also ensure that you are not missing messages from the most important people! You may know all about the bosses who send you multiple messages throughout the day, sometimes with just a link to something that they need you to check on. While they are delegating tasks to you, other people are swarming around you with questions, and needing assistance. Make sure you have a “Top Priority” folder for your boss, to make sure their emails are always at the top of your list! 

Another way that you can organize your emails is by subject. Perhaps these are different projects that you are involved with. However you set this up, if you notice that there are more than six emails on one subject, you may need a separate folder for that subject specifically. At the end of the day, organization of your information (emails included) is vital to staying in tip top shape, so find a system that works best for you.

4. Learn a New Skill

With the explosion of technology, apps and social media in general, make sure you are on top of the most applicable technologies. There are so many new apps available to help with everyday office tasks from general “to-do” lists, to interoffice communication, to event planning. Think of an aspect of your role that you would like extra help with and do a search on the internet to find new apps that are suited to helping manage that task. You will be amazed at what you can find! If part of your role includes managing social media to some extent, try checking out new strategies to leverage your businesses social media presence or improve on their current campaigns. 

5. Refresh and Recharge Your Skills

Remember those old training materials that may be hidden in the back of one of your drawers? What can you remember from that training and how have you been able to utilize that information throughout your work year? Chances are there is some information that has been forgotten or left to the wayside. Pull out those old workbooks and browse through to make a mental checklist of everything you have used, and make note of the things that you could still work into your routine to make for a more productive day! 

6. Set Your Goals for 2019

If you do anything on this list, setting your goals for the new year should be top priority. Take this opportunity to look back over this past year. What did you accomplish professionally? What new habits did you create that allowed you to be most productive? What were some obstacles that kept you from being your most successful self? Take all of this into consideration and create a plan of attack for 2019.

Keep your goals written out somewhere where you will see them often and make it a point to reevaluate where you stand on accomplishing your goals periodically throughout the year - add it to your calendar if you need to! I’ve developed an Administrative Professionals Goal Setting Guide and Templates for your use. Please accept this useful resource as my FREE gift. If you’d like this guide on goal setting, send me an email at [email protected] and indicate your shipping information in the email.

Meet Joanne Linden, CPS, CEAP, President and Master Trainer, who was an administrative professional herself, and her teaching style is grounded in authentic office experience. AdminUniverse? can help you improve yourself, widen your skill set, and advance your career. Connect: [email protected]. https://adminuniverse.com