Be productive with your routines...

I felt i am getting more lazy to do all the same jobs daily... it reminds me very often when i check my daily mails, or attend any of the project meetings etc.. sat in a meeting and left without knowing exactly what was accomplished...today i'm sharing with you a few tips to improve yourselves in these occasions.

Instead of just “checking” your email (which means reading it without taking action), open your email one at a time and ask yourself, “What action must I take as a result of this email?” Often the email contains one or more requests for actions from your part, such as requests for information (action: look up info and send to Mr. X), requests for you to call someone (action: call Mr. Z and request info), requests for a meeting (action: schedule meeting in calendar). The key is to develop the habit of finding those actions immediately, and either doing them now (if they can be done in a couple of minutes or less) or noting them on your to-do list. Then take action with that email: file, delete, forward, reply. Get it out of your inbox, and move on to the next. Continue processing for actions until inbox is empty.Its like the law of UNIX - Do one thing at a time, and do it well...

When sitting in a meeting, don’t just jot down random notes about what was said (or more likely, doodle cartoons until the meeting ends). Instead, focus on what actions need to be taken. When an action is mentioned, write it down — especially if it’s an action you need to take. Mark it with a star, so you can easily transfer your action notes to your to-do list or calendar immediately after the meeting (and make that a habit too). This way, the meeting wasn’t a waste of time — you’ve got actions to take as a result of it. If people are talking a lot about an issue, but no actions come out of the discussion, make a point to ask: “So what action are we going to take on this? Who is going to do the action and by when?” You may encounter a lot more discussion with no actions, but be persistent. Without action, you just have a lot of hot air. hope it helps...