Lately I've been lamenting my loss of focus - I've gotten so good at doing twenty things at once that I really struggle to slow down and just do one thing at a time.

In my post on multitasking I mentioned that for most assistants 'unitasking' (only working on one thing at a time) is great in theory, but almost impossible in practice. Our roles generally require us to be bombarded with tasks and information, usually all of which must be dealt with concurrently. So how do you still the cacophony of interruptions and focus on just one urgent task?

The most common suggestion for retaining focus is to minimise the distractions of email and telephone. Wouldn't it be lovely to be able to take the phone off the hook and shut down Outlook for the day? Well, yes, but sadly most of us are paid to keep a constant watch over our bosses emails and phone calls so that they can enjoy the benefits of fewer distractions, so if we're going to do this it can only be for short periods. A good idea is to do this when you know you won't be called upon to update your boss - for example if they are going into a 2 hour workshop it's a pretty safe bet that you can spend the first hour and a half of that time 'offline' and then spend the final 30 minutes catching up on whats going on with their emails and phone calls so you're ready to update them at the end of their meeting.


This leads into another great suggestion of knowing what times you work best. For example I am best at involved and complicated tasks first thing in the morning, tasks involving other people prior to lunch and for an hour or so after lunch I'm best at sticking to routine tasks like filing. Knowing this helps me make sure I use my best focusing time (the morning) to work on the tasks requiring the most focus instead of trying to muddle through them in my post-lunch haze. Dave Cheong suggests time boxing on his blog:


Instead of working at something till it is done, try working on it for a limited period, say 30 mins. By that time, the task is either completed or you allocate another time slot, perhaps in another day, to pick it up again. This way, you keep your work fresh and engaging throughout the entire working day.

I think this idea is particularly relevant to assistants as its very rare that our schedules will allow us to sit and work on the same task for long periods of time. Another important tool to help with focus is to take regular breaks...seems counter intuitive doesn't it, but taking regular breaks can actually help improve your focus.

Some sites I've found with interesting suggestions for improving focus and time management are:

• http://blisstree.com/live/5-tips-to-help-you-focus-at-work-155/
• http://www.davecheong.com/2006/08/14/18-ways-to-stay-focused-at-work/
• http://www.davecheong.com/2006/06/21/11-ways-of-staying-focused/
• http://zenhabits.net/16-ways-to-keep-a-razor-sharp-focus-at-work/
  http://selfevolution.net/how_to_focus.html
• http://lifedev.net/2008/03/10-ways-historys-finest-kept-focused-at-work/

Today I was filing some emails in my Outlook folders and getting very annoyed at all of the emails I was filing with a blank subject line, but never fear, the internet had a solution!

Did you know you can rename your Outlook email’s subject line? Do you know how you get emails from people and you want to save them but the subject of the email isn’t the way you are going to remember it?
There’s an easy way to change the subject line.
Just open up the email, and start typing on the subject line (I know if looks gray and like you can’t type, but you can).

From: www.clipmarks.com

What do you know? It works!

Let me know if you've learnt any other helpful tips lately.

I've spent the last seven years becoming very good at multitasking, as I'm sure all assistants have. Being able to cope with and process many tasks, concepts and requests all at the same time whilst smiling and making someone a cup of coffee seems to be an essential skill.

Recently my constant multitasking has started to bug me, is it really necessary to read and respond to an email while talking to someone about their weekend, and answering the phone to boot?

There's been a lot written about 'uni-tasking' or mindfullness which focuses on the idea that by only completing one task at a time and focusing your full attention on it you'll get more done, feel less stressed and produce better outcomes. This idea really appeals to me, to be able to sit and focus on one task at a time, devoting your full attention to it and creating great results, but is it really possible/practical in an assistant's role?

Sadly, for the most part I think the answer is no. In my view the assistants job is to make their manager/s life easier, and that generally involves taking tasks off their already full plate and completing them efficiently, effectively and usually concurrently. Unitasking can be impractical - it can hold up other parts of your business while they wait for you to finish or it can make other staff waste time trying to do something you could do ten times faster (have you ever watched a CEO try to fix a paper jam?).

Here are some articles on multi-tasking and uni-tasking for your reference:

• http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/03/your_brain_on_m.html
• http://blogs.hbr.org/silverman/2010/06/in-defense-of-multitasking.html
• http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-myth-of-multitasking

I guess the ideal situation is a combination of unitasking and multitasking depending on the situation and workload - what do you think? Are you able to unitask at work or are you too busy juggling twenty tasks?

Over the years I've tried many methods of recording and reporting on missed calls and to do lists for various bosses - handwritten notes, word documents, tasks in outlook - you name it, I've tried it! I've recently found a method that works well for me and my boss.

I create an appointment in Outlook at the end of the day (same time every day, say 7pm) and store all of my bosses' tasks, calls and messages in there. It's easy to update and both he and I can access and edit it from our mobiles (so there's no need to ring me to find out who has called).

Would this work for you? Do you have any other methods that work well that you'd like to share?

I read this tip at www.personal-assistant-tips.com (a great reference site) the other day for when you're handed a piece of paper and told to 'look after it until the end of the month' and loved it - I know whats going on my next stationery order:

Invest in a concertina folder, labelled with the days of the month, then ask your boss to give you any papers that need to be brought forward.

For instance, if your boss has just sent an email which needs to be followed up in 10 days time, ask him to forward a copy of the email to you, stating when he would like it brought forward to. File the email in the appropriate slot in the bring forward file. Alternatively, he could write the words b/f on a hard copy and the date it should be brought forward to. Check your bring forward file every morning and leave the appropriate brought forward document(s) in his In-tray.

What a great tip - do you do something similar for your boss?

From: http://www.personal-assistant-tips.com/Organise-Your-Boss.html