by Aisling Ashbery

Created on: July 15, 2010

When working in an office, it’s important that you work efficiently, especially if your pay check is commission based.  But an office space is home to many more distractions than we may realize.  If you find that your productivity levels in the office seem to be lagging, check out these timesavers for office workers.

1. Limit Watercooler Breaks

When you finish a project or task that you were working on, it can be tempting to take a little break to walk to the water cooler or get a snack.  The problem is that these little breaks can really add up depending on how many you take each day.  If you can it’s best to try to wait to walk around and get a snack until your scheduled break.  Another danger in taking little water cooler breaks is that often they take longer than you expect, especially if you meet someone along the way who wants to talk to you.

2. Utilize Downloading Time

If you have some sort of task that doesn’t require your full attention (like initialing forms) keep it close at hand to work on while you wait for things to download on your computer.  Similarly, you can do the same thing if you’re waiting for someone on the other end of the phone to come back from hold or to make a decision.  This way time that otherwise would have just been wasted can help you clean up small tasks.

3. Email When you Can

When your workers sit only a few feet away from you, it might seem silly to send them an email asking a question or assigning tasks.  But there are a few reasons that sending an email might be more efficient.  First of all, you ensure that the time communicating is all spent on business.  Talking face to face puts you in a situation where you’re more likely to get off topic and ask about the game last night or something else. 

Second, when you get a reply via email you have a written record of whatever you wanted to know, which will mean that even if you forget what they told you, you can go back and look.  Lastly, emailing instead of talking will help you avoid interrupting your coworkers when they may be in the middle of something.  By emailing your question or concern, you let them get to it when they have a minute instead of when they’re in the middle of three other things.

These three simple timesavers for office workers will help increase your efficiency and productivity.

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