FIFTEEN WAYS TO AVOID OVERLOAD AND WORK SMARTER; AVOIDING DEATH BY TO-DO LIST

By: Jason W. Womack

Published: 01/ 11/ 2012; Quality Digest; http://qualitydigest.com; alternatively, Google the title and author's name

Level of Difficulty: ***

Acknowledgement: This text was contributed by a subscriber to this blog, Celal Yerli. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for a truly riveting text.

Suggestion: Allow yourself 45 minutes for the questions.

QUESTIONS

1.       The source of the anxiety, frustration and distress that stems from a feeling that one just has too much on one’s plate is down to ……………………………………………………………………………………..

2.       The solution is two pronged. First of all, you need to acknowledge the fact that …………………. Second of all, you need to ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3.       Getting rid of everything you can and unsubscribing will produce an added bonus.  What is it?

4.       What is the advantage of having blocks of time for work and blocks of time for interruptions?

5.       The advice the author gives concerning managing emails basically involves ………………………….. Be general.

6.       The basic reason for inertia according to the author is a feeling of ……………………………… The way to deal with it is to do ……………………………………………………………………………………first.

7.       Read the section “Keep your Blackberry out of bed”. What is the take home point from what you have read? Be general and use your own words.

8.       Delays cancellations and similar holdups can turn out to be a blessing in disguise because ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Be general.

9.       Why can one complete a 60 minute meeting in 45 minutes according to the text?

10.   Figuring out what exactly is preventing you from focusing will enable you to …………………………

11.   What does “this” refer to in the phrase “This will save you time” in the section”Identify the verbs that need attention”?

12.   The author suggests end-of-day note cards to both determine …………………………………………but also to ………………………………………………………………………………………( you will need to tweak the text)

13.   What are the two advantages of weekly debriefs?

14.   Forecasting 6 months ahead will set you off on the right track because …………………………………

WRITING TASK

Select your favorite suggestions concerning how to work more efficiently then add your own ideas and write a problem solution essay.

FIFTEEN WAYS TO AVOID OVERLOAD AND WORK SMARTER KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This relatively simple yet interesting text was also contributed by a subscriber to my blog and a former student, Celal Yerli. It has turned into a kind of search reading exercise so there is a time stamp. Again the questions are designed to surreptitiously help with paraphrasing and summary skills.

1.       How you think about work.

2.       You’re never going to get it all done; improve the way you approach the things you need to get done.

3.       Reduce your psychological burden.

4.       You get more done; OR: increasing daily productivity.

5.       Cataloging and organizing them.

6.       Dread; something small and manageable.

7.       Possible answer: If a job needs doing, do it at the right time. Don’t sit staring at it.

8.       You can look through your to-do list and pick something – anything – to work on. This answer best summarizes everything.

9.       Because we fill the time we expect to fill.

10.   Get more done in less time at a higher level of quality.

11.   Picking smaller verbs to describe tasks that are easier to start and faster to finish.

12.   That which you need and want to do; to motivate you to get better.

13.   They help you hold yourself accountable; they allow you to make course corrections if necessary.

14.   What you think about is what you do.