PERSONAL SPECIAL.................. Output turbo boost

Output turbo boost   Rules high-performance people live by, and you should too, according to an award-winning author Of all the time and pro ductivity manage ment sessions that Dr Jan Yager, American writer and consultant, has conducted, she considers the following her favourite work-less-do-more concepts. In her latest book, she explains how hard-pressed entrepreneurs, professionals, homemakers and students can amp up their productivity. 1 BEAT PROCRASTINATION IN 30 Understand, and deal with, procrastination, if this is something that you are prone to do... The `trick' that can reverse the procrastination you may be experiencing for hours or days or even weeks on a particular project is this: tell yourself, `I will work on this project for just thirty minutes only.' You make a deal with yourself. Almost invariably, you will be surprised to find that if you can just get started, and even put thirty minutes towards a dreaded task, you will be able to spend much more time on it, even completing it in far less time than you spent ruminating over it. Monitoring how much time you are spending can also help.Use your appointment book, or your smartphone or computer, to keep track of when you start and keep on a particular task. 2 CONSIDER DEADLINES EMPOWERING A realistic deadline will motivate you, so make sure your deadlines are realistic. A deadline that comes too soon may discourage you or even `shut you down'. If you have agreed to a deadline that isn't feasible, as soon as you realize the situation, explain why and, if possible, negotiate for a new time frame. Don't wait till the last minute so you'll be seen as someone who's disorganised and unproductive. If the deadline cannot be changed, see what time-saving strategies you can implement such as delegating to others -staff members or outsourcing to freelancers -or to technology, or even revising the goal. 3 ALWAYS RRA (RESPOND RIGHT AWAY) Don't just let requests sit there, ignored `till I get the time to respond' because you're always going to be pressed for time.And ignored requests from those that matter can lead to animosity and projects that get off-track or even relationships that end. Even just telling someone, `I'll get back to you' is better than ignoring him/her. If you're not the right person to handle an inquiry, pass it on to the person concerned, rather than ignoring it. Being polite is a business protocol as well as a sign of efficiency. I think back on the CEOs I've personally and professionally known, and been impressed by, and communicated with, and they were almost always responsive, either personally or they had their executive assistants communicate. 4 USE WOO One of the greatest benefits of improved efficiency is that it frees up your time to seize those opportunities that could come your way. You're not behind the eight ball, so to speak, so you are able to immediately respond to a wonderful new opportunity that could make all the difference in your business or career. Learn how to recognise those WOOs (Window Of Opportunity) and you are more likely to see amazing positive improvements in how much, and what, you are accomplishing. What WOO experiences are you opening yourself up to, whether it's through email and social media sites, like Linkedin or Twitter, or through face-to-face meetings at conferences or introductions that you facilitate through those you work with or for, or even your friends and family? Are you promptly and appropriately following them up? 5 ASK, WHAT DO OTHERS PREFER? If someone lets you know that they hate phone calls, respect that. If email is their preference, follow that lead although of course if you continually use the same method of communicating and it does not get a response, try another way, explaining why you're doing it. 6 GET THINGS OTD You know you're making progress if you're getting projects OTD (Out the Door). OTD means that something is actually getting finished and on its way to happening. If you're in marketing, that means you are actually making the marketing calls and not just writing up a list of whom you should be calling...You're not just spinning your wheels or making promises that something is in development but without seeing results. 7 LOOK BEYOND Too many of us get stuck in the rut of looking to our own fields for examples, whether that's publishing companies for writers and authors, advertising companies for those in advertising...Instead, stretch yourself and see where it takes you. If you're a sociologist, consider partnering with a neurologist and see where that might lead you both. You could also look at other cultures for insights into different ways of doing things, whether it's someone within your own country or someone from thousands of miles away. 8 D-O I-T N-O-W If you have a great idea, do something about it immediately because the longer you dwell on it and fail to act on it, the greater the chances it will get out there in the universe and someone else will do it before you. The same is true for those projects you know you have to do, for your boss, or for yourself. That website that needs to be redesigned or even getting a website up in the first place.That blog you need to commit to writing every day. -Reproduced from Put More Time on Your Side by Jan Yager,  published by HarperCollins; Rs 250