Time Management - Marc Mancini

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Time Management
Inventory Your Life
It’s annoying when the stapler runs out when you’re
assembling a series of reports needed immediately. It’s even
more annoying when you have to leave your office to fetch a new box
of staples. And it’s little things like running out of staples and paper
clips that can, cumulatively, add up to unmanageable stress.
So create a list of the supplies you use regularly. Opposite each
item, indicate how many you have in your office, immediately at hand. (If
these supplies are provided by your company, indicate only the
amount that are only a few footsteps away.) You should have, for
example, a minimum of two boxes of paperclips, staples, Scotch® tape
rolls, pens, pencils, etc. within easy reach.
Make it a point to keep your personal supply cabinet or drawer
stocked and to keep a record of what you use.Then replenish stock
to maintain an adequate supply. Stay ahead of the game and you’ll
always win.
The Pack-Rat Approach
Don’t you hate it when you run out of stationery, can’t
find a bubble-mailer envelope when you need it, or have
to use that last Post-it® that’s all sticky with dust and who
knows what else? So you set forth grudgingly for the local
stationery store, the one you’ve visited three times already
this week because you ran out of other things.
If people were a little more like pack rats, they could avoid
plenty of frustration. You should have, at this moment, both at
home and work, extras of almost everything you regularly use
and need. An effective way of managing supplies is to keep a
running inventory list. Buy at least two of anything you’re
replacing—three would be even better—and restock several
items at a time, rather than waiting to run out of items before
replacing them.
Gobbledygook
You call your travel agent. That trip you planned probably
needs to be changed. Will that be feasible?