The Efficiency Dr Blog

How many times have you been steadily working on something when “oops” all of a sudden you accidentally close the window, or hit the back button, or a power failure causes you to lose your work? It’s happened to me 3 times this week! Many programs are getting better at incorporating auto save but many, especially web-based applications do not have this obviously useful feature yet.

Most recently I was working on our company newsletter using the web-based newsletter creation tool, and accidentally hit the “go back” browser button rather than the “Undo” button within the newsletter application. Errrgh!

To make it more frustrating, even though the application says “be sure to save your work at regular intervals”,  doing so,  by clicking the save button (always at the bottom of the page…) takes you off your editing screen and asks if you want to test the newsletter now. Then you have to go through two screens to get back to the editing screen! How inefficient is that?

What can be done about this poor programming? Unfortunately very little, unless you design your own app, or shop around specifically for this feature next time. We can learn from it though. After all, what’s there to do but go back and start over?

Yes, it can feel like starting over is a huge loss, but what you do differently the second time around can make it better than before. You might catch mistakes you overlooked the first time, you may find an easier way to complete the task, or you may even have a creative moment that didn’t happen the first time around. You never know! It’s definatly not the end of the world, and if you don’t look at it as wasted time, then it won’t be.

How has being forced to start over made your work better?

I just learned, thanks to Danielle Miller’s “The Dish” Newsletter that this is National “Take Back Your Time Week”.

What a great idea and perfect timing too. In fact, it just so happens I have been busy scheduling activities and making plans to do things that are fun. I’ve learned if you don’t actually schedule yourself to participate in activities just for fun, chances are you’ll either forget about the event or activity you wanted to do, or when the time comes you will make excuses to yourself why you shouldn’t go.

There’s a few more tips I’ve come across that can help you take back your time:

• Don’t get stuck watching TV – if you have a show you want to watch, watch it, but make an effort to turn off the TV when it’s over and do something more enjoyable
• Give yourself a scheduled break from work – whether its housework or business give your self at least an hour where you will not work and take time for your self – don’t answer the phone, check your work email, or do the dishes and laundry. Instead catch up with friends on Facebook, send email or write letters, or just spend a little time on a hobby.
• Plan your meals in advance – or better yet, prepare them in advance. How many hours have you spent staring into the refrigerator wondering what to make for dinner or making a last minute run to the grocery store?
• Make and use lists effectively – when something you need to do pops into your head, jot it down but be sure you also not when you will have time to do it. For instance if there is a deadline, plan to do it before the last minute – and mark it out once it’s completed. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get done this way, and soon you’ll be adding those planned fun activities to the list!

If you have habits that you use to make more time for yourself, please send us a note and let us know!